The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his service-connected surgical neck scar and painful right posterior neck scar, finding that there was no evidence of an increase in severity prior to September 16, 2016.
The deciding factor: There is no report of examination or hospitalization prior to March 24, 2015 showing a worsening of the Veteran's service-connected surgical neck scar that could be accepted as an informal claim for an increased rating under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Cervical Spine, Painful Surgical Scar of the Right Posterior Neck
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- December 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19191245
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 19191245.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and chronic sinusitis. However, it granted an increased disability rating of 30 percent for left upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's GERD was granted a 60 percent disability rating, and the June 15, 2020 VA Form 10182 for service connection claims was accepted as timely due to good cause shown.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 30 percent from July 17, 2009 to September 26, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's left hip disability (limited flexion) is currently rated as noncompensable, and her left hip disability is rated at 20 percent since March 13, 2013. The cervical spine disability is also rated at 20 percent since March 13, 2013.,The Veteran's left hip disability (limited flexion) has not been granted a higher rating.
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