The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and effective dates have been denied. The Veteran is not entitled to an evaluation greater than 20 percent for cervical spondylosis, strain, levoscoliosis, and arthritis. Effective dates prior to January 16, 2015, are also denied for the grants of service connection for TBI, cervical spine disability, migraine headaches, and neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation under any applicable Diagnostic Code. The effective dates prior to January 16, 2015, are denied as there is no evidence of an earlier claim being received by VA.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spondylosis, strain, levoscoliosis, and arthritis, Neuropathy of the left lower extremity, Neuropathy of the left upper extremity, Neuropathy of the right lower extremity, Neuropathy of the right upper extremity, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19137347
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (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 19137347.
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 Board has granted service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its residuals, including unsteady gait, somnolence, and cognitive dysfunction. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible lay statements about in-service head injuries and subsequent seizures.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and therefore, service connection for TBI is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance due to service-connected TBI with PTSD is granted, effective September 6, 2018.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for special monthly pension (SMP) based on the need for aid and attendance is granted due to his cognitive impairment resulting from a motor vehicle accident in 2018, which has rendered him unable to work and needing assistance with daily activities.
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