The Board found that the Veteran's current cervical spine disability is not related to his active duty service or any service-connected condition, and thus denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran's cervical spine disability was less likely than not incurred in or caused by the claimed in-service injury, event, or illness, and also found it less likely proximately due to or the result of a service-connected facial scar.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine degenerative disc disease, Cervicalgia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2016
- Citation
- 1604231
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 1604231.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection was denied for a groin condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates as they were received more than one year after her intent to file a claim, and no good cause extension was requested.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's request to extend his delimiting date for Chapter 33 education benefits, finding that he did not provide sufficient evidence of a physical or mental disability preventing him from initiating a program of education within one year of his May 2020 extension request.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cervicalgia with right upper extremity radiculitis is granted as secondary to his service-connected postoperative repair for chronic dislocation of the right shoulder. The low back disability issue is remanded.
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