The Board finds that the veteran's cervical spine condition was not incurred or aggravated in service and is not etiologically related to his service-connected lumbosacral strain. The radiculopathy of the right and left upper extremities are also denied as secondary to the cervical spine condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner could not resolve whether the veteran's cervical straining was due to his lumbar strain, leading to a speculative opinion on service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, Radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, Radiculopathy of the left upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 11, 2007
- Citation
- 0732014
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 0732014.
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 Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability and radiculopathy of both upper extremities have been granted increased ratings, with the left upper extremity receiving a higher rating due to more severe symptoms.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar and cervical spine are being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ is directed to obtain an addendum medical opinion that addresses the extent of flareups experienced by the Veteran.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and anxiety is granted. The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee condition, and OSA are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
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