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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of May 17, 2018, for his 80% disability rating for loss of use of right foot. The Veteran argued that he should have received a higher rating based on peripheral nerve damage from his in-service back surgery, but the evidence did not show an increase in severity within one year prior to filing his May 2018 claim.

The deciding factor: The Board found it not factually ascertainable that the severity of the loss of use of the Veteran's right foot increased in severity during the one-year lookback period prior to filing his May 2018 increased rating claim.

Claimed conditions
muscular atrophy, disuse, peripheral neuropathy, foot drop, paralysis, sciatic, common peroneal, superficial peroneal, deep peroneal, internal tibial, posterior tibial
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
January 11, 2024
Citation
24001945

Veterans Law Judge

John R. Doolittle, II

Decisions by this judge: 835 · Granted: 22% (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 24001945.

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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