The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability and tension headaches are not related to his service-connected low back disability, thus denying these claims.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the current cervical spine disability and tension headaches were not caused by or aggravated by the service-connected low back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Disability, Tension Headaches
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2016
- Citation
- 1647979
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 1647979.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability, right knee strain (painful motion), and right knee instability are now rated at 30 percent effective August 16, 2017.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD rating was reduced from 70 percent to 50 percent, effective February 20, 2025. The Board finds the reduction improper and restores the 70 percent disability rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for TMD, cervical spine disability, and FSAD have been denied.,An earlier effective date prior to August 2, 2022, for the award of service connection for these conditions has also been denied.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted SMC at the rate of 50% for his service-connected conditions from April 20, 2020 to June 7, 2021.
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