The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date prior to December 28, 2017 for the award of service connection and secondary service connection for mental health, headaches, bilateral knee pain, and bilateral upper extremity pain conditions. The claims were first filed in August 2018.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for mental health, headaches, bilateral knee pain, and bilateral upper extremity pain conditions were not filed prior to December 28, 2017, the date of his intent to file a claim. The effective dates are based on when the claims were first received in August 2018.
- Claimed conditions
- mental health, headaches, bilateral knee pain, bilateral upper extremity pain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2023
- Citation
- A23035243
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A23035243.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches was reopened due to new and material evidence, and the Board found that his current headaches are related to service. Service connection is granted.
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