The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for various hip and femoral nerve radiculopathy disabilities, finding that he did not continuously pursue a claim for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed no continuous pursuit of claims for the hip and femoral nerve radiculopathies from November 15, 2016, to March 10, 2022, which is the date VA received his claim.
- Claimed conditions
- limitation of abduction and adduction of the left hip, limitation of flexion of the left hip, limitation of extension of the left hip, limitation of abduction and adduction of the right hip, limitation of flexion of the right hip, limitation of extension of the right hip, left lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25039393
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 service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and voiding dysfunction as residuals of a stroke, and granted initial ratings for the back disability, left shoulder disability, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The claims for earlier effective dates for hypertension and stroke were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board restored the 60% rating for degenerative arthritis and IVDS of the lumbar spine, status post fusion, with stenosis and spondylolisthesis. The claims for increased ratings for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, as well as a rating greater than 40 percent from April 15, 2024.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for earlier effective dates related to various left and right hip, knee, shoulder, and other conditions as they were freestanding claims not continuously pursued from the initial rating decisions.
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