The Veteran's claims for earlier effective date and increased ratings were granted. The Veteran received a 20% rating for his radiculopathy of the right upper extremity from February 1, 2016 to May 29, 2018, and for his left upper extremity from February 1, 2016 to May 29, 2018. The Veteran's claims for ratings in excess of 20% were denied.
The deciding factor: The effective date was granted based on the reopening of the claim due to new evidence received after a final denial. The increased ratings were granted as per the medical findings and VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder, Radiculopathy of the Right Upper Extremity, Radiculopathy of the Left Upper Extremity
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19148824
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 940 · Granted: 21% (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 19148824.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a 70 percent disability rating for his psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with MDD and anxiety, has been granted. However, the issue of entitlement to Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) is remanded due to procedural issues.
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