The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative changes of the cervical spine are related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition. The issues of right shoulder disorder and left shoulder disorder, both secondary to the cervical spine disability, will be addressed separately.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided an opinion supporting a direct relationship between the Veteran's current degenerative changes of the cervical spine and his active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Changes of the Cervical Spine, Right Shoulder Disorder, to include as secondary to Degenerative Changes of the Cervical Spine, Left Shoulder Disorder, to include as secondary to Degenerative Changes of the Cervical Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2013
- Citation
- 1301193
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 1301193.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including asthma, migraines, PTSD, and TBI-related conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment for the appeal period from May 14, 2018, to September 7, 2021, and from September 18, 2021, to September 7, 2022. Effective September 7, 2021, he is in receipt of a 100% combined schedular disability rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected degenerative changes of the cervical spine, status-post laminectomy have been rated at 20 percent since August 31, 2012. The Board has determined that this rating is appropriate based on the evidence showing no more than functional loss more nearly approximating forward flexion of the cervical spine of 20 degrees or greater.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative changes of the cervical spine with mild thoracic spine kyphosis, finding that it is related to an in-service injury.
- Granted
The Veteran has been diagnosed with degenerative changes of the cervical spine and provided credible statements of continuous symptomatology since service. The Board finds that the evidence supports a finding of service connection for this condition.
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