The Board denied service connection for chronic cervicalgia, status-post cervical laminectomy for stenosis and a back disability as there is no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's period of active duty.
The deciding factor: There was no credible evidence of an event, injury, or disease in service upon which a current disability may be based. The record does not show any treatment for neck or back pain during service and the first complaints were many years after discharge from service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic cervicalgia, status-post cervical laminectomy for stenosis (neck disability), back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0908320
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.
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- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a back disability, effective immediately. The Board also granted a 10 percent rating for left knee tendonitis with patellofemoral pain syndrome and degenerative joint disease based on limitation of flexion from October 4, 2024, to the present, and a 50 percent rating for the same condition from February 5, 2025, to the present.
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