The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for ulcerative colitis, neuropathy of both upper extremities, and a skin disability of the bilateral hands.
The deciding factor: The earliest available effective date for each condition was determined based on the date of receipt of the claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later, as required by law.
- Claimed conditions
- ulcerative colitis, neuropathy, left upper extremity with hand arthralgia, neuropathy, right upper extremity with hand arthralgia, skin disability of the bilateral hands, to include keratinization and hyperkeratosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25031913
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 Veteran's tinnitus is granted, while fibromyalgia, internal or external hemorrhoids, bilateral hearing loss, and neuropathy are denied.
- Granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for ulcerative colitis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms most closely approximate moderately severe ulcerative colitis with frequent exacerbations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a left foot disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding an inadequate October 2024 VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of ulcerative colitis to address whether it is secondary to a service-connected disability.
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