The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date prior to November 7, 2002, for service-connected spondylolisthesis and left lower extremity sciatica.
The deciding factor: The earliest effective date possible for the grant of the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is November 7, 2002, as he did not file a timely notice of disagreement within one year after the initial denial in 1991.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylolisthesis, L5-S1 with degenerative arthritis (back condition), radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), left lower extremity (left lower extremity sciatica)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25057418
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 a 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability since September 26, 2024.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability to obtain additional medical evidence regarding the severity of his condition without the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities from March 1, 2021, and an effective date of March 1, 2021, for eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the November 2024 non-final rating decision, deferring the adjudication of the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis, was dismissed.
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