The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of reopening his service connection for degenerative changes of the cervical spine, degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine, and COPD with fibrothorax of the left lung due to lack of new and material evidence.
The deciding factor: No new and material evidence was received in support of the Veteran's claims regarding his service connection for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative changes of the cervical spine, Degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with fibrothorax of the left lung
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2014
- Citation
- 1446968
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 1446968.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the August 2023 VA contract examiner's opinion is inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to address the Veteran's lay statements of onset during service and continuity of symptomatology.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative changes of the cervical spine and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), finding that new evidence supports these claims. Service connection is also granted for a musculoskeletal disability of the neck/upper back.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from September 15, 2012. The Board granted a total disability rating for compensation due to his unemployability.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to active duty, ADT, or IDT.
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