The Board found that the veteran's chronic low back strain and cervical spine degenerative disc disease were not incurred in service, but her chronic head injury residuals were not shown to have originated during active service. The Board denied all claims.
The deciding factor: The VHA opinion concluded that the veteran's chronic cervical spine disorder was not related to her inservice head trauma or service and attributed it to degenerative changes over time. The VA examiner at the December 2001 examination also found no evidence of a cervical spine injury during service, leading to the conclusion that the condition did not originate in service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic low back disorder, chronic cervical spine disorder, chronic head injury residuals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2006
- Citation
- 0637134
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 952 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0637134.
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.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for thoracolumbar strain, finding that it began in service and is related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic low back disorder and right leg disorder, finding that the current disabilities are not causally related to service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a chronic cervical spine disorder to obtain an addendum VA medical opinion that substantially complies with prior remand directives.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various musculoskeletal disorders and granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
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