The Veteran's myofascial pain syndrome of the cervical and thoracic spine is related to his military service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The issue regarding PTSD remains pending as it involves other diagnosed psychiatric disorders.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided a positive nexus opinion linking the Veteran's current myofascial pain syndrome to his in-service neck injury, resolving the doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- myofascial pain syndrome of the cervical and thoracic spine, depressed mood secondary to alcohol abuse in remission, depressive disorder NOS, anxiety disorder NOS
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2015
- Citation
- 1544388
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 1544388.
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 has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety disorder NOS, depression, and PTSD. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or are related to his active military service.
- Granted
The December 2012 rating decision was reversed to grant service connection for an anxiety disorder, which had previously been denied due to a lack of evidence linking the condition to service. The new evidence provided by the VA psychologist in January 2012 established a link between the Veteran's military service and his current diagnosis of anxiety disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed psychiatric disorders because there was no evidence of a current disorder related to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an adequate nexus opinion regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder. A new examination is required to address whether any diagnosed condition is at least as likely as not incurred in or otherwise related to his active service.
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