The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to November 1, 2010 for cervical spine degenerative disc disease and associated radiculopathy of the upper extremities are denied as there is no evidence of a claim or informal claim before that date.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his thoracic spine surgical scar is also denied as it arose from surgery on September 25, 2012.
The deciding factor: There was no formal or informal claim submitted by the Veteran prior to November 1, 2010 for service connection of cervical spine degenerative disc disease and associated radiculopathy. The earliest possible effective date is November 1, 2010.,The thoracic spine surgical scar arose from surgery on September 25, 2012, which is the earliest possible effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- left eye erosion syndrome with residual corneal abrasion, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, cervical radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20014653
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 20014653.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from engaging in gainful employment as of January 1, 2019. The Board granted a TDIU effective from that date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disorder. The AOJ is required to obtain new opinions addressing whether the Veteran's cervical spine disorder resulted from in-service injury or service-connected disability, and whether it was caused by or a result of his service-connected knee and/or thoracolumbar spine disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including migraine headaches, chronic vertigo, thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined effects of these disabilities.
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