The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracic and cervical segments of the spine as there was no evidence that it had onset during service or was caused by a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the current degenerative arthritis to service, and the VA examiner expressed the opinion in July 2007 that the cervical spine degenerative arthrosis was likely not caused by or aggravated by the veteran's service-connected spondylolisthesis.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the thoracic and cervical segments of the spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2008
- Citation
- 0810234
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
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