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Whole decision: Denied

The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than May 21, 2012 for left great toe neuropathy and left lower extremity sciatica have been denied as the effective date is based on the date of receipt of the claim.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine DDD, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, right lower extremity sciatica, and a lumbar scar received August 31, 2011 have been denied as there are no earlier unaddressed filings or communications that would warrant an earlier effective date.

The deciding factor: The effective dates for these claims are based on the date of receipt of the Veteran's initial claim, which is not earlier than the dates granted.

Claimed conditions
Left Great Toe Neuropathy, Cervical Spine Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), Degenerative Arthritis of the Lumbar Spine, Right Lower Extremity Sciatica, Lumbar Scar
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
January 5, 2023
Citation
23000767

Veterans Law Judge

DONNIE R. HACHEY

Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 23000767.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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