The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's neck disability, radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, and painful neck scar status post GSW.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran's symptoms warranted a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- neck disability post gunshot wound (GSW) to muscle group XX, neck disability post GSW to muscle group XXII with retained foreign body, radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, painful neck scar status post GSW
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25016498
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 A25016498.
What this means for you
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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 sleep apnea as secondary to multiple service-connected disabilities, including radiculopathy of the upper and lower extremities and low back condition. The Veteran is also granted a TDIU due to his inability to maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected conditions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection of radiculopathy of the left upper extremity. The Board has dismissed this issue.
- Denied
The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right upper extremity is currently rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 8511.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left upper extremity is currently rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 8511.,The Veteran's TMJ disorder is currently rated at 20 percent.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an effective date of July 15, 2013 for the grant of service connection for a left shoulder disability is granted. The initial rating for a left shoulder disability remains at 20 percent. The claim for TDIU earlier than September 25, 2020 is denied.
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