The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service-connected right shoulder, left shoulder, and cervical spine disabilities, as the evidence showed that these conditions arose on December 21, 2016.
The deciding factor: The claim was not supported by language indicating intent to seek service connection for the specific disabilities in question prior to the December 21, 2016, date of receipt of a formal claim.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder impingement syndrome, bicipital tendonitis and bursitis (dominant), left shoulder impingement syndrome, bicipital tendonitis, rotator cuff tendonitis, bursitis, and osteoarthritis, cervical spine degenerative joint and disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25086725
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 766 · Granted: 40% (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 A25086725.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative joint and disc disease, upper thoracic spine myofascial strain, and left elbow strain and triceps enthesophyte disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on multiple service-connected disabilities have been dismissed as the Veteran has withdrawn his appeals.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea, cervical spine degenerative joint and disc disease, lumbar spine degenerative joint and disc disease, bilateral pterygium, and truncal dermatitis and onychomycosis of the bilateral great toe nails require additional development due to the need for a VA examination.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's hypertension is not rated higher than noncompensable, and his migraine headaches are rated at 10 percent prior to February 12, 2019, but a 30 percent rating is granted for the same condition starting from that date.,Cervical spine degenerative joint and disc disease and left knee status post ACL repairs are remanded for further examination and rating consideration.
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.