The Board granted an earlier effective date of October 25, 2005 for the 30 percent disability rating of left upper extremity radiculopathy but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for DDD of the cervical spine with spondylosis and adhesive capsulitis of the left shoulder.

The deciding factor: The evidence was in approximate balance as to whether the Veteran's left upper extremity radiculopathy manifested in incomplete moderate paralysis during the time on appeal, thus the Board afforded the Veteran the benefit of the doubt. For the other conditions, the claims were not continuously pursued and the rating decisions were final.

Claimed conditions

left upper extremity radiculopathy, degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine with spondylosis, adhesive capsulitis of the left shoulder

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

30%

Decision date

November 26, 2025

Citation

A25102558

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine