The Veteran's cervical spine disability and upper extremity radiculopathy were granted service connection in December 2013 with initial evaluations of 20 percent each. The Veteran seeks earlier effective dates for these grants.,The Veteran also seeks service connection for depression, which was found to be secondary to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's cervical spine disability and upper extremity radiculopathy were granted in December 2013 with initial evaluations of 20 percent each. The effective date is set at December 19, 2012 as the earliest date entitlement arose.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine degenerative disc disease with disc herniation C6-C7 with a history of kyphosis, Right and left upper extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 26, 2018
- Citation
- 1805308
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 1805308.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including thoracolumbar and cervical spine conditions, preclude locomotion without the aid of a walker, warranting eligibility for specially adapted housing.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) as she did not meet the criteria for SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s).
- Granted
The Veteran's appeal for additional VR&E services, including training to pursue a medical degree, was granted. The Board found that the Veteran had service-connected disabilities and functional limitations that made it necessary to change his rehabilitation goal from biomedical sciences to medicine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment, and the TDIU claim is granted. The left elbow disability issue remains pending due to a lack of VA examination.
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