The Veteran's neck disability, including arthritis of the cervical spine, is presumed to have been incurred in service due to a motor vehicle accident during active duty. The Veteran also has headaches that are secondary to his now-service-connected neck disability and pelvic obliquity as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine and knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found the Veteran's arthritis of the cervical spine was incurred in service due to a motor vehicle accident, which is considered presumptive under VA regulations. The headaches are deemed secondary to the now-service-connected neck disability. The pelvic obliquity is not related to service but may be aggravated by the service-connected lumbar and knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the cervical spine, Pelvic obliquity
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2017
- Citation
- 1731844
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 1731844.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for the period on appeal, as the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to maintain gainful employment.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches have been rated at the maximum schedular disability rating of 50 percent since July 12, 2010. Additionally, from July 12, 2010, a TDIU has also been granted due to the combined effect of multiple service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic headaches and arthritis of the cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and left ankle rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since his retirement in October 2009.
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