The Board denied earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for various conditions, including degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis and multiple types of radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support an earlier date that unadjudicated claims were received by VA or that entitlement arose for these disorders prior to October 28, 2020.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis, Right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, Left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, Right lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve, Left lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve, Pes planus, Traumatic brain injury (TBI), Migraines, Left ear hearing loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2024
- Citation
- A24065060
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted an effective date of July 31, 2012, for TDIU and October 22, 2012, for service connection of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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