The Veteran's cervical spine disorder and bilateral hand disorder were not incurred in service and are not otherwise related to service. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has been diagnosed with cervicalgia, cervical radiculitis, cervical degenerative disc disease, cervical disc bulges at multiple levels, and cervical disc herniation. However, there is no in-service diagnosis or treatment for these conditions, and the private medical records indicate that the disorders were likely caused by post-service motor vehicle accidents.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disorder, Bilateral hand disorder (paresthesias, radiculitis, carpal tunnel syndrome)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2017
- Citation
- 1703232
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 1703232.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a causal relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and psychiatric disorder due to incomplete information. The Veteran needs to provide his complete service personnel records, verify his alleged combat experience in Vietnam, and undergo VA examinations for both conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the initial ratings assigned for psoriatic arthritis of the upper and lower extremities, as well as service connection for a cervical spine disorder, need to be remanded due to incomplete evidence. The Veteran's periods of active duty for training (ADT) and inactive duty for training (IDT) must be confirmed, and all relevant medical records should be obtained.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him in need of regular aid and attendance, warranting an effective date of January 8, 2014 for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance.
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