The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection and higher initial ratings for various conditions, including PTSD, shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, migraine headaches, thoracic strain, cervical strain, allergic rhinitis, hemorrhoids, right hand index finger residuals, right wrist residuals, and peripheral neurological involvement.
The deciding factor: The earliest dates that entitlement arose for the respective evaluations were determined to be as of March 29, 2017 for left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis and right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, March 2, 2021 for PTSD, migraine headaches, thoracic strain, cervical strain, allergic rhinitis, hemorrhoids, right hand index finger residuals, right wrist residuals, and February 2, 2022 for peripheral neurological involvement of the upper extremities.
- Claimed conditions
- non-dominant left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis with glenohumeral joint instability and dislocation, dominant right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis with glenohumeral joint instability and dislocation, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), migraine headaches, thoracic strain, cervical strain, allergic rhinitis, hemorrhoids, right hand, index finger residuals and pain status post metacarpal fracture, right wrist residuals and limited range of motion status post scaphoid fracture and reconstruction, painful scar of the right wrist, scar of the right wrist
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25038327
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 Veteran's migraine headaches were granted a 50 percent disability rating, effective August 8, 2023, due to very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks that are productive of severe economic inadaptability.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine pain, allergic rhinitis, and recurrent yeast infections. The claims for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder with alcohol use disorder and left knee pain were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's migraine headaches based on prostrating attacks occurring more than once a month and severe economic inadaptability.
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