The Veteran's service-connected disabilities made it impossible for him to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment as of February 4, 2004.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected conditions aggravated his work-related injury on February 4, 2004, making him unable to return to work and rendering him unemployable.
- Claimed conditions
- Herniated nucleus pulposus T3-4, Thoracic syndrome, Residuals of a cervical spine injury from a motor vehicle accident, Cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19135321
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 19135321.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for the service connection of cervical radiculopathy of both upper extremities, but denied earlier effective dates for degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome of the cervical spine, headaches, and TBI.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity and a 30 percent rating for cervical radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, but denied an increased rating for the cervical spine disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine disorder, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy due to lack of a VA examination. The Veteran contends his current conditions are related to service or his service-connected lumbar spine disorder.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's cervical spine disability, including a higher rating for cervical strain with degenerative joint disease and radiculopathy of both upper extremities. The TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its inextricability from these other claims.
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