The Board granted an earlier effective date of August 29, 2020, for the grant of service connection for a lumbar spine disability and bilateral hip disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran continuously pursued her claims by timely filing review options within one year of the initial denial, establishing entitlement to an earlier effective date under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability (lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD) and degenerative joint disease (DJD), myofascial lumbar syndrome), left hip degenerative arthritis, impairment of left thigh, right hip degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- April 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25030777
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left hip degenerative arthritis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle and knee conditions, and major depressive disorder as secondary to his service-connected knee and ankle conditions. The Board also granted a 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for left ankle, right ankle, bilateral hip conditions and entitlement to specially adapted housing or special home adaptation grant as there is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran's pre-existing conditions were aggravated during his period of ACDUTRA.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left hip disability as secondary to right foot disabilities, finding no evidence that the Veteran's left hip disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected right foot disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for the grants of a noncompensable disability rating for left hip limitation of extension, a 20 percent disability rating for left hip limitation of flexion, and a 20 percent disability rating for left hip degenerative arthritis, but denied an earlier effective date for service connection for a painful right hip scar.
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