The Board found that the Veteran's current neck pain, spasms, and headaches are not related to his service injury in 2001. The claim for residuals of a neck injury was denied as there is no evidence of chronic disability during service or continuity of symptoms post-service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the claimed conditions were less likely than not incurred in service, citing lack of interval history and inconsistent reports from the Veteran regarding his medical history.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a neck injury, acquired psychiatric disorder (bipolar disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)), alcohol dependence
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 27, 2012
- Citation
- 1233569
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1233569.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a neck injury, finding that his current disability and in-service injury are related.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral elbow disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of a neck injury have been granted. The claim for sleep apnea has been withdrawn.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need to obtain an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability with alcohol dependence.
- Denied
The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence, and anger issues. The denial is based on a lack of verified stressor in service linking these conditions to service, as well as a lack of medical nexus connecting them to service.
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