The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of a cervical spine injury is denied as there is no evidence of a neck injury in service or continuity of symptomatology. The Veteran's PTSD warrants staged schedular ratings, with the highest rating (70%) from October 18, 2016.
The deciding factor: The cervical spine disability was not shown to be related to service and there is no evidence of a neck injury in service or continuity of symptomatology. The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by symptoms productive of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas but not total occupational and social impairment since October 18, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Injury, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2017
- Citation
- 1702814
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 1702814.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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