The Board has granted service connection for cervical strain and a back condition, and has awarded a 10 percent rating for headaches. The veteran's claims are based on direct evidence of his conditions rather than any presumption or secondary relationship to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examination findings and medical records provided sufficient evidence to establish that the veteran's current neck and back conditions were not incurred in service, but are related to his period of active duty. The headaches have been rated based on their characteristic prostrating attacks occurring once a month over several months.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical strain, discectomy of the lumbosacral spine with arthritic changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 10, 2003
- Citation
- 0334425
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 0334425.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and remanded several issues, including service connection for stomach pain.
- Partly granted
The Board granted higher ratings for the Veteran's service-connected carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome of both upper extremities, but remanded claims for service connection for sinusitis, calcified lymph nodes on the lungs, and cervical strain.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension as it was not present during service, was not manifested to a compensable degree within one year of separation from active service and is not otherwise related to service. The claims for service connection for a cervical strain and coccyx bone fracture are remanded.
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