The Board has granted service connection for PTSD/depression and assigned a 70% disability rating, effective July 11, 2011. The Veteran's neck/cervical spine disorder is secondary to his service-connected residuals of a head injury with headaches.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the current cervical spine disorder was less likely than not caused by or aggravated by the service-connected residuals of a head injury with headaches, as there were no findings in service records and the Veteran reported significant neck pain only recently.
- Claimed conditions
- neck/cervical spine disorder, degenerative joint disease and disc disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 22, 2014
- Citation
- 1456114
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 1456114.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for sleep apnea, TBI, and a neck/cervical spine disorder due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding her left ankle disorder, neck/cervical spine disorder, carpal tunnel syndrome of both upper extremities, and residuals of a traumatic brain injury.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for depression and anxiety disorders, PTSD with depression and anxiety, low back disorder, neck/cervical spine disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, tinnitus, and erectile dysfunction. The decision on these issues is based on their merits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for a left ankle disorder, CTS of the upper extremities, and various hip and knee disorders. The Veteran is also seeking higher initial ratings for her lumbar spine and right hip disabilities.
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