The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted as service-connected.,Right and left upper extremity radiculopathy are also granted as secondary to the service-connected cervical spine disability.,Residuals of TBI, low back disability, eye disability (to include as due to TBI), and right ankle disability are all remanded for further examination and opinion.,Malaria, heart disability, aortic aneurysm, diabetes mellitus, and sleep disability are also remanded for further examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's cervical spine disability is found to be related to a service injury as described by the Veteran and supported by lay statements.,Right and left upper extremity radiculopathy are found to be secondary to the service-connected cervical spine disability.,Further examination is needed to determine if any current TBI, low back, eye, or right ankle disabilities are related to service.,Further examination is needed to determine if any current malaria, heart, aortic aneurysm, diabetes mellitus, or sleep disabilities are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disability, Right upper extremity radiculopathy, Left upper extremity radiculopathy, Traumatic brain injury (TBI), Low back disability, Eye disability, Right ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2024
- Citation
- 24002945
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,645 · Granted: 19% (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 24002945.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent, the maximum rating available under the General Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The evidence does not support a higher rating as his range of motion did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for traumatic brain injury and migraine headaches due to right eye removal are granted. The claim for a compensable evaluation of xeroderma of the right eye is remanded.
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