The appeal for an earlier effective date for the right shoulder scars was dismissed due to res judicata, and the appeal for an earlier effective date for migraine and tension headaches was denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were denied based on the established rules regarding the assignment of effective dates for service-connected disabilities, specifically that entitlement to secondary service connection cannot arise before the effective date of the primary disability.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder scars, migraine and tension headaches
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25045034
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 a right knee disability and denied service connection for right shoulder scars. The claims for peripheral neuropathy of the left thumb, a right ankle disorder, and a left ankle disorder were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and remanded several service connection claims.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, solar lentigines, and acne as manifestations of a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness (MUCMI), while denying an increased rating for PTSD with residuals of traumatic brain injury. The Board also granted initial ratings for migraine and tension headaches, right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, and left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for increased ratings and denied a compensable rating for right shoulder scars, while remanding several other issues including service connection for a right hand disorder.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.