The Board found that the rating reductions for left and right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy were not proper due to procedural errors, and thus restored the previous ratings.
The deciding factor: The reduction was improper because the Veteran was not notified of a proposed reduction despite his combined disability evaluation decreasing from 80% to 70%, which required notice under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25051211
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,017 · Granted: 36% (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 A25051211.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for cervical spinal stenosis, right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, and left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy due to new relevant evidence submitted by the Veteran.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a left wrist fracture, bilateral hearing loss, Type II diabetes, bilateral glaucoma, OSA, cervical disc herniation, and other musculoskeletal issues are denied.,Service connection is not established for any of the claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical spine disorders, radiculopathies of the upper and lower extremities, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, COPD, GERD, gastroparesis, diverticulosis, rhinitis, OSA, left ankle disorder, and left foot disorder have been granted. The claims are based on presumptive service connection due to exposure to noise during service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for effective dates of July 7, 2022 for service connection for cervical condition and associated left and right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy conditions as well as cervicogenic headaches.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.