The Board granted effective dates of September 17, 2012, for the cervical spine disability and associated neurological impairments, headache disability; November 29, 2018, for the lumbar spine disability and associated neurological impairments of the bilateral legs; April 22, 2019, for the psychiatric disability; and April 22, 2019, for the six separately-rated bilateral hip disabilities.
The deciding factor: The effective dates were granted based on the Veteran's timely filing of claims after relevant evidence was received that vitiated the finality of previous denials or due to continuous pursuit of the claims since their initial denial.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disability, right arm neuropathy associated with cervical spine, left arm neuropathy associated with cervical spine, headache disability, lumbar spine disability, right leg neuropathy associated with lumbar spine, left leg neuropathy associated with lumbar spine, psychiatric disability (acquired), right hip disability based on impairment of the thigh, right hip disability based on limited flexion, right hip disability based on limited extension, left hip disability based on impairment of the thigh, left hip disability based on limited flexion, left hip disability based on limited extension
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25042935
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 service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee, right hip, and lumbar spine disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability but denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for his left knee disability prior to April 25, 2019.
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