The Veteran's cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine conditions are not service-connected as there is no evidence of chronic disability in service or within one year thereafter. The VA examiner opined that the current spine conditions are less likely related to any event or spine condition noted in service.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient documentation of complaints pertaining to the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spines in service records, and no subsequent evidence of chronic disability or diagnosis.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine condition, Thoracic spine condition, Lumbar spine condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2016
- Citation
- 1603943
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 1603943.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical spine condition and left shoulder condition due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as VA failed to provide the Veteran with VA examinations and medical opinions to assess the nature and etiology of his conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine condition was granted as new and relevant evidence has been received. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical records, provide a VA examination, and determine the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical spine condition and TBI. The VA will obtain an adequate opinion on both issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the need of regular aid and attendance has been granted. The case is remanded due to errors in obtaining necessary evidence for a TDIU rating.
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