The Board found that the Veteran's currently manifest cervical spine disability did not have its onset in service and is not otherwise related to his period of active duty, including the in-service fall off a truck. The most probative evidence shows that the Veteran's current condition was likely due to age-related degenerative change.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that it was less likely than not that the Veteran's cervical spine disability had its onset during service or was otherwise related to service, citing inconsistencies in the Veteran's statements regarding continuity of neck symptoms following his period of active service and the lack of medical evidence supporting a direct link between the in-service injury and current condition.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2014
- Citation
- 1451398
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 1451398.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from engaging in gainful employment as of January 1, 2019. The Board granted a TDIU effective from that date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disorder. The AOJ is required to obtain new opinions addressing whether the Veteran's cervical spine disorder resulted from in-service injury or service-connected disability, and whether it was caused by or a result of his service-connected knee and/or thoracolumbar spine disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including migraine headaches, chronic vertigo, thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined effects of these disabilities.
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