The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection due to postoperative residuals of Klippel-Feil syndrome with fusion at C6-7, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted. The decision also noted that the veteran's current chronic neck pain was not related to his service-connected Klippel-Feil syndrome.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the provided evidence did not constitute new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the claim for postoperative residuals of Klippel-Feil syndrome with fusion at C6-7, as it did not provide any direct or indirect link between the current neck pain and service-connected Klippel-Feil syndrome.
- Claimed conditions
- postoperative residuals of Klippel-Feil syndrome with fusion at C6-7, chronic neck pain
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 19, 2001
- Citation
- 0122790
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0122790.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of chronic neck pain and cervical strain, finding that the Veteran did not file a claim for these conditions until June 28, 2013.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for headaches, chronic neck pain, mental health disorder, and temporomandibular joint disorder.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic neck pain, sinusitis, right knee condition, left knee condition, and back condition due to inadequate medical opinions.
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