The Board finds that the veteran incurred or aggravated degenerative changes of the cervical spine in service and granted service connection for this condition. The veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, so service connection is denied. For low back pain with compression fracture, L3, the evaluation was increased to 20 percent prior to October 15, 2001.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports the finding that the veteran incurred or aggravated degenerative changes of the cervical spine in service and granted service connection for this condition. The lack of a current diagnosis of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome precludes granting service connection for this condition. For low back pain with compression fracture, L3, the evaluation was increased to 20 percent prior to October 15, 2001.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Changes, Cervical Spine, Bilateral Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- September 16, 2002
- Citation
- 0212196
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 0212196.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claim for service connection for cervical spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine, left elbow, and left knee conditions due to errors in obtaining necessary medical opinions and records.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability and Gulf War medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness. The Veteran's cervical spine disability was not related to his in-service period, and the claim of Gulf War exposure was not supported by evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, but has also remanded several issues due to the need for further development.
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