The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for cervical and lumbar radiculopathy have been denied as the earliest date of claim is March 22, 2021.
The deciding factor: The earliest date of claim received by VA was March 22, 2021, which is when the Veteran filed an Intent to File a Claim and subsequently submitted a VA Form 21-526EZ for increased ratings. The effective dates assigned are based on this filing.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Radiculopathy (Upper Extremities), Lumbar Radiculopathy (Lower Extremities), Neck Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2024
- Citation
- A24072641
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (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 A24072641.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Neck Disability, and Bilateral Upper Extremity Radiculopathy. The decision is based on the Veteran's active service and medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. Service connection is granted for PTSD, OSA, bilateral hearing loss, neck disability, right shoulder disability, right middle finger disability, right ankle disability, and left leg disability.,The Board has determined that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his service or service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including peripheral neuropathy and neck disability, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since May 3, 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for his right ankle disability and neck disability due to inadequate examinations and medical opinions.
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