The Board found that there is no direct relationship between the veteran's cervical spine disorder and service, nor has his service-connected lumbar disability caused or aggravated it. The claim for service connection was denied.
The deciding factor: VA examiners concluded that the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine was not due to service or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 26, 2003
- Citation
- 0314057
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 0314057.
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 Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral foot disability, knee disability, ankle disability, cervical degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and cervicalgia, secondary to a service-connected lumbar strain, as well as GERD. The claims of readjudication were also granted.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the neck, left wrist ganglion cyst, and left wrist scar; granted increased ratings for the bilateral CTS and hypertension for part of the periods of appeal; and remanded the issues of increased ratings for bilateral CTS with radiculopathy from June 20, 2022, and entitlement to a TDIU prior to June 20, 2022.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 30 percent for cervical degenerative disc disease, resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an adequate VA examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's current neck disability, including whether it is caused or aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder disability.
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