The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine disability is related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's current cervical spine disability cannot be reasonably disassociated from his in-service motor vehicle accident (MVA), which occurred in March 2001. The Veteran provided credible testimony about neck pain at the time of the MVA, and there is no evidence to contradict this account.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back, neck (cervical spine)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 19, 2015
- Citation
- 1526276
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1526276.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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 remanded the claims of service connection for a neck (cervical spine) and low back (lumbar spine) disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an upper back or neck disability, finding that his current conditions are not related to his military service and do not meet the criteria for secondary service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate development and failure to substantially comply with prior remand directives. The issue of service connection for a disability of the upper back (to encompass disability of the neck) is returned to the Board for further consideration.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine and/or upper back disability, finding that there was no evidence of such disabilities during his active military service or due to any in-service injury. The Veteran's current neck and upper back issues are attributed to an undiagnosed illness associated with his Southwest Asia service.
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