The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, left hip osteoarthritis, right hip osteoarthritis, left ankle injury residuals, and left ankle scar, as the appropriate effective date is November 7, 2016.
The deciding factor: The application to reopen was received on November 7, 2016, which is the earliest date VA can grant service connection for these disabilities based on the evidence of record at that time.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Left hip osteoarthritis, Right hip osteoarthritis, Residuals, left ankle injury, Scar, left ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2024
- Citation
- A24064178
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment, thus granting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, finding a positive nexus to the Veteran's active duty service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip osteoarthritis and right hip osteoarthritis as secondary to the Veteran's now service-connected knee disabilities, but denied service connection for a variety of other conditions including bilateral ankle, shoulder, foot, mood disorder, tinnitus, hyperlipidemia, and knees.
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