The Veteran's cervical spine disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and is unrelated to her military service.
The deciding factor: A VA examiner determined that the cervical spine degenerative disc disease (DDD) is less likely than not secondary to the lumbar spine DDD for which service connection has been awarded. The examiner noted a lack of complaints of neck pain in the service treatment records and an age-related disposition to develop DDD.
- Claimed conditions
- narrowing, i.e., degenerative changes of the 6th and 7th cervical disc spaces with anterior osteophytosis of the vertebral bodies (claimed as neck and head pain)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2009
- Citation
- 0906832
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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