The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine strain and lumbar radiculopathy are not related to his military service, while his head injury is not shown to be related to service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current complex lumbosacral spine problem, recurrent lumbar radicular pain, moderate cervical spine disc bulges and chronic upper extremity hand numbness were less likely than not related to his military service and more likely than not related to multiple post-service traumas including motor vehicle accidents.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine strain, Lumbar radiculopathy, Head injury (claimed as skull fracture and concussion)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2012
- Citation
- 1237392
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 1237392.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for a neck disorder, as it is insufficiently addressed in the previous decision. The case will be sent back for an addendum opinion.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for DDD and central canal stenosis of the lumbar spine, finding that the appellant's current disability is at least as likely caused by his in-service injury.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's request to extend his delimiting date for Chapter 33 education benefits, finding that he did not provide sufficient evidence of a physical or mental disability preventing him from initiating a program of education within one year of his May 2020 extension request.
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