The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical and thoracolumbar spine disorders are not related to military service, and therefore denied his claims for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no medical evidence linking the current spinal conditions to the Veteran's active duty service or any in-service injury. The examiner opined that the Veteran's degenerative changes were most likely age-related and unrelated to the mild lumbosacral strain diagnosed after an assault during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disorder (including degenerative disc disease, degenerative joint disease, and arthritis), Thoracolumbar spine disorder (including degenerative disc disease and arthritis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2018
- Citation
- 1803625
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 1803625.
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
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- Denied
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- Denied
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- 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.
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