The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbosacral spine are not related to his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the left ankle, and thus, does not meet the criteria for service connection.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a direct relationship between the Veteran's current diagnoses of cervical and lumbar spine arthritis and his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the left ankle.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the cervical spine, Arthritis of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2012
- Citation
- 1201126
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1201126.
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 Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for the period on appeal, as the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to maintain gainful employment.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches have been rated at the maximum schedular disability rating of 50 percent since July 12, 2010. Additionally, from July 12, 2010, a TDIU has also been granted due to the combined effect of multiple service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic headaches and arthritis of the cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and left ankle rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since his retirement in October 2009.
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