The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, as the evidence does not support an earlier date of entitlement.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on legal requirements regarding effective dates post-separation from active duty, with no basis to establish an earlier date of entitlement.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric condition, Left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, Thoracolumbar spine condition (degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis), Right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2025
- Citation
- A25047178
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.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of June 2, 2023, for the grant of service connection for various conditions and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the low back disability, denied an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, granted a separate 10 percent rating for left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable disability rating for the Veteran's posterior trunk surgical scar and remanded claims related to his bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for intervertebral disc syndrome with discectomy and laminectomy, left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and incontinence as secondary to the Veteran's IVDS.
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