The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the current cervical spine disorder had its onset in service, and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: Service medical records are silent for a finding of an injury to the cervical spine. The veteran did not report any neck injury at separation from service, and clinical evaluation was normal.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease C5-6 with symptomatic disk protrusion at C6-7 (claimed as herniated disk secondary to back pain and also claimed as neck pain)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2006
- Citation
- 0635068
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 0635068.
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 obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myasthenia gravis based on the Veteran's exposure to hazardous substances during his military service.
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