The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for a back disability and associated neurological disabilities, as well as for a right ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record did not support an earlier effective date than those assigned by the AOJ in November 2021.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain, degenerative disc disease, and degenerative arthritis (a back disability), radiculopathy, femoral nerve left lower extremity, radiculopathy, femoral nerve right lower extremity, radiculopathy, sciatic nerve right lower extremity, radiculopathy, sciatic nerve left lower extremity, residual pain, right ankle fracture (a right ankle disability)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2024
- Citation
- A24063330
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 granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that the Veteran's low back injury occurred during a period of active duty for training (ADT) and continued therefrom.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for right leg sciatica with radiculopathy pain and paresthesia, but denied increased ratings for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, left wrist limitation of motion with ganglion cyst, and service connection for headaches, unspecified. Several issues were remanded.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a disability rating greater than 10 percent for tinnitus and a rating greater than 20 percent for lumbosacral strain, but granted a 20 percent rating for left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.
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