The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU prior to October 9, 2014 were denied as the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable due to their combined effects.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran was unable to perform work requiring overhead activities or lifting more than 30 pounds due to his neck and back conditions, making it impossible for him to secure substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spondylosis, thoracic spine strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19135287
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19135287.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for various conditions and ratings have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing from appellate consideration in December 2025.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death while the appeal was pending.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right and left knee patellofemoral disease with chondromalacia, cervical spondylosis, intervertebral disc syndrome, and spinal stenosis, finding that these conditions were incurred during service.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran has withdrawn all his appeals, including those for hypertension, headaches, heart disease with atrial fibrillation, cervical spondylosis, depression, sleep apnea, hyperlipidemia, rotator cuff tear, acromioclavicular arthritis of the right shoulder, dominant, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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