The Veteran is not entitled to an effective date prior to June 29, 2023, for the awards of service connection for cervical spine strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome and radiculopathy, right upper extremity, upper radicular nerve group.,The Veteran is also not entitled to an earlier effective date for eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the earliest date of receipt of a claim for service connection was June 29, 2023, and prior to this time it was not factually ascertainable that the Veteran's cervical spine disability and radiculopathy began during his active service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome, raticulopathy, right upper extremity, upper radicular nerve group
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2026
- Citation
- A26039111
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 A26039111.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the case to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The VA examination report was incomplete, lacking range of motion measurements and explanations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including rating reductions and earlier effective dates. The specific claims include right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, chronic thoracolumbar spine strain, cervical spine strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome, major depressive disorder, right ankle posttraumatic degenerative changes, left hand scar, right hip degenerative joint disease, ear nerve damage, left wrist flexor tendinitis, right wrist flexor tendinitis, tinnitus, left knee condition, bilateral hearing loss, sleep disorder, arthritis of the wrists and hands associated with service-connected carpel tunnel syndrome, type II diabetes mellitus. The Board has not reached a decision on these claims at this time.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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