The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral mastectomy with status-post ductal carcinoma and left fibroadenoma, bilateral mastectomy scars, bilateral mastectomy painful scar, and special monthly compensation based on anatomical loss of breast.
The deciding factor: The earliest effective date that can be assigned under the appropriate legal standard is December 21, 2021, as the Veteran's claim was not filed within one year of her ITF.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral mastectomy with status-post ductal carcinoma and left fibroadenoma, bilateral mastectomy scars, bilateral mastectomy, painful scar, special monthly compensation based on anatomical loss of breast
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2025
- Citation
- A25058680
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 833 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25058680.
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 has granted service connection for breast carcinoma and its residuals, bilateral mastectomy scars, and lymphedema of the left upper extremity as related to in-service toxic exposure. The Veteran's current conditions are deemed related to her military duties that exposed her to volatile chemicals.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral mastectomy scars are not painful or unstable, and do not result in any functional impairment. Therefore, the claim for an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected bilateral mastectomy scars is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral mastectomy scars and GERD due to insufficient evidence in some areas, including missing VA medical records and a need for another etiology opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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