The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his cervical spine disability and left upper extremity radiculopathy ratings, finding that no pending claim prior to March 10, 2020, supported these requests.
The deciding factor: No evidence was found to support an earlier effective date based on a pending claim prior to the increased rating claim received in March 2020.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Degenerative Disc Disease, Degenerative Joint Disease with Left Upper Extremity Radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26009091
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 A26009091.
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 wife has been providing regular care and assistance to the Veteran since February 13, 2017 due to his service-connected disabilities. The Board grants an effective date of February 13, 2017 for SMC based on need for aid and attendance.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a left hip disability, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, and thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease with arthritis. The right hip disability was denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain gainful employment, meeting the criteria for a TDIU from September 1, 2018.
- Denied
The Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, along with left upper and lower extremity radiculopathy, were denied compensable ratings prior to August 5, 2019.
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