The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for right upper extremity muscle weakness, right lower extremity muscle weakness, voiding dysfunction, and erectile dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis.
The deciding factor: The claims were received more than one year after the Veteran's separation from active duty, and thus the earliest possible effective date is the date of receipt of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- right upper extremity muscle weakness associated with multiple sclerosis, right lower extremity muscle weakness associated with multiple sclerosis, voiding dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis, erectile dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25030900
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,272 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25030900.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of April 19, 2019 for the grants of higher ratings for bilateral lower extremity muscle weakness, a higher rating for right upper extremity muscle weakness, service connection for chronic constipation, service connection for hoarseness associated with multiple sclerosis, service connection for multiple sclerosis with adjustment disorder, mixed anxiety, and depressed mood, and service connection for voiding dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypothyroidism was granted a rating of 30 percent from June 24, 2011 to July 27, 2015. From July 28, 2015 to July 30, 2018, the Veteran received a 60 percent rating for hypothyroidism. Since July 31, 2018, he has been granted a 100 percent rating. For his right upper extremity muscle weakness associated with multiple sclerosis, the Veteran was initially granted a 20 percent rating in September 2012 and increased to 50 percent in September 2015. From June 24, 2011 to January 8, 2014, he received a 70 percent rating for right upper extremity muscle weakness associated with multiple sclerosis. Since January 9, 2014, the Veteran has been granted an 80 percent rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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