The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 22, 2018 for the grant of service connection for adjustment disorder has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for his adjustment disorder with depressed and anxious mood is remanded due to lack of evidence of current severity.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for neck pain, claimed as C8-T1 radiculopathy secondary to left shoulder dislocation with traumatic arthritis, is also remanded.
The deciding factor: There was no formal or informal claim received prior to August 22, 2018 for adjustment disorder.,The Veteran's current treatment records do not reflect the severity of his condition as determined by the October 2018 VA examination.,The VA examiner did not address whether the neck pain is caused or aggravated by the service-connected left shoulder disability.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment disorder, neck pain (claimed as C8-T1 radiculopathy)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20080450
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,421 · Granted: 31% (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 20080450.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for erectile dysfunction and granted an earlier effective date of March 31, 2015, for a 50% evaluation of other specified trauma disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and remanded the claim for adjustment disorder. The Veteran's radiculopathy is not shown to be related to his military service, while his adjustment disorder may be related to civilian life.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for adjustment disorder, SMC-AA benefits, and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits was granted effective August 10, 2022.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on housebound status as he does not have a single disability rated at 100% and his disabilities are not so severe that they render him substantially confined to his residence.
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.