The Board has granted service connection for degenerative changes of the cervical spine and denied service connection for residuals of appendicitis with ruptured colon. The Veteran's current neck disability is found to be related to his military service, while there is no evidence linking the residuals of appendicitis to his service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current cervical spine disability was caused by or a result of the neck pain with degenerative changes in service, which occurred within one year of his separation from active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiovascular disease, hypertension, arthritis of the upper extremities, right shoulder pain, chronic back strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- February 6, 2013
- Citation
- 1304191
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 1304191.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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