The Board found that there is no evidence linking the veteran's current degenerative changes of the cervical spine, thoracic spine, hips, and shoulders to his military service. The claims for service connection were denied.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical evidence showing a relationship between the veteran's current conditions and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative changes of the cervical spine, Degenerative changes of the thoracic spine, Degenerative changes of the hips, Degenerative changes of the shoulders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2002
- Citation
- 0215398
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 0215398.
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 service connection for a cervical spine disability as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to active duty, ADT, or IDT.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative changes of the cervical spine and migraines (claimed as headaches) as secondary to a degenerative change in the cervical spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claim for an increased rating for the service-connected cervical spine disability is remanded to correct a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the May 2022 rating decision on appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for PTSD, right shoulder disability, right knee disability, degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine, degenerative changes of the cervical spine, right upper extremity radiculopathy, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus as there was no evidence to support a current diagnosis or a link to active service.
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