The Board has determined that the veteran's current cervical arthritis/disc disease is not related to his service, including any falls in service. The claim for service connection is denied.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current cervical spine disability to his service, specifically noting that there were no injuries or issues with the neck during service and that the VA examiner found it impossible to state a nexus without speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical arthritis, disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 22, 2006
- Citation
- 0636408
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0636408.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of cervical arthritis has been dismissed due to his request for withdrawal.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical arthritis is granted as service connected due to neck pain that began during active duty.,Service connection for emphysema with COPD is granted based on conceded garrison exposures, including jet fuel.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar disorder and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied benefits for a child born with birth defects and spina bifida under 38 U.S.C. § 1805, as the appellant does not have a diagnosis of spina bifida and is not the biological daughter of the Veteran.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.