The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar radiculopathy of the lower extremities bilaterally, hip arthralgia bilaterally, cervical spine degenerative joint disease, torn meniscus of the knees bilaterally, cervical radiculopathy of the upper extremities bilaterally, and thoracolumbar spine degenerative joint disease were denied as they are not earlier than May 10, 2011.
The deciding factor: The earliest date of claim for service connection was May 10, 2011.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar radiculopathy of the lower extremities bilaterally, hip arthralgia bilaterally, cervical spine degenerative joint disease, torn meniscus of the knees bilaterally, cervical radiculopathy of the upper extremities bilaterally, thoracolumbar spine degenerative joint disease, right ankle arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19161988
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 19161988.
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 Board has dismissed the appeals for all claims of service connection, including those for bilateral flat feet, thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, right CTS, left CTS, essential tremors, right ankle arthritis, right shoulder arthritis, and left knee arthritis. The appeal of sleep apnea was granted in a July 2024 rating decision.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal of the proposed reduction in PTSD rating from 70% to 50%, and for service connection claims related to various joints and diabetes mellitus type II, has been dismissed due to procedural issues. The Veteran withdrew his appeals.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to reopen previously denied service connection claims for various joint conditions, including right ankle arthritis, left ankle arthritis, right shoulder pain, left shoulder pain, right knee arthritis, and left knee arthritis. The skin condition claim is remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a temporary total rating based on hospitalization or convalescence due to his service-connected cervical spine disability is remanded as the record does not include post-surgical follow-up treatment records from the University of Virginia Hospital.
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