The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine and thoracic lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, but denied service connection for left hip condition, left upper extremity radiculopathy secondary to cervical spine, right upper extremity radiculopathy secondary to cervical spine, left shoulder impingement syndrome with arthritis, left knee osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease, and right knee osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities were related to his active duty service based on medical opinions provided by his private physician who treated him for these conditions post-service. The left hip condition was not diagnosed, and there is no evidence of a current disability. For the upper extremity radiculopathy and knee disabilities, the Board found that further examination was needed as the diagnoses were conflicting.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine degenerative disc disease, Left hip condition (not diagnosed), Left knee osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease, Left shoulder impingement syndrome with arthritis, Left upper extremity radiculopathy secondary to cervical spine, Right knee osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease, Right upper extremity radiculopathy secondary to cervical spine, Thoracic lumbar spine degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165222
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (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 19165222.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection was denied for a groin condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates as they were received more than one year after her intent to file a claim, and no good cause extension was requested.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment after his last date of employment on March 30, 2018. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from March 31, 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the severity of these conditions.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.