The Board denied entitlement to an effective date prior to March 31, 2020 for the grant of service connection for left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, traumatic brain injury, thoracolumbar spine disability, and left hip disability.
The deciding factor: The July 29, 2021 claim, filed on VA Form 21-526EZ, serves as an original claim and does not maintain continuous pursuit, so the only permissible effective dates are April 12, 2021 (the date of intent to file) and July 29, 2021 (the date of the original claim for the disabilities).
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, traumatic brain injury, thoracolumbar spine disability, left hip disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25027083
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for traumatic brain injury has been withdrawn by the Veteran.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the conditions are related to Agent Orange exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability and a left shoulder disability as the evidence did not support that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA.
- Dismissed
The appeal regarding the proposed reduction of the Veteran's disability rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was dismissed as it was not a final decision. The Board also remanded the claim for service connection for a left hip disability due to an inadequate VA examination.
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