The Board finds that the veteran's current neck and shoulder pain, including his diagnosed degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, is not related to his military service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a link between the veteran's current symptoms and his military service, and the Board finds that any current disability is more likely due to natural progression or other non-service-related factors.
- Claimed conditions
- muscle and joint pain of the neck, muscle and joint pain of the shoulders, degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, congenital absence of the C1 posterior arch
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2007
- Citation
- 0711079
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 0711079.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine and radiculopathy affecting both upper and lower extremities, while dismissing the claim for cervicogenic headaches.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, right upper extremity radiculopathy, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, and right lower extremity radiculopathy, have resulted in a combined rating of 60 percent as of March 15, 2019. The Board has granted an earlier effective date for TDIU to this point.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU grant.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claims for readjudication and further development, as new and relevant evidence had been submitted since the prior denials.
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