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Whole decision: Denied

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical spine disability is not service connected and his claim for increased evaluation of dorsal spine disability with low back pain syndrome was denied.

The deciding factor: VA medical opinion concluded that there is no connection between the veteran's cervical spine disorder and either his service-connected dorsal spine disability or active service, finding them to be separate entities.

Claimed conditions
Degenerative spondylosis of the dorsal spine, Cervical spondylosis with C5-6 and C6-7 stenosis
How they argued it
Secondary to another service-connected condition
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
August 5, 2005
Citation
0521242

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 0521242.

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.

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