The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Board has found that new evidence supports reopening of his cervical spine condition claim. However, the Board denied service connection for both the cervical spine condition and DDD of the lumbar spine as there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to service or any presumptive period.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's testimony and lay statements do not provide credible evidence that his current cervical spine and lumbar spine conditions are related to service, particularly given the long time gap between his reported in-service injury and the onset of symptoms. The Board found the Veteran's account of a fall during service as the cause of his neck pain less credible than other medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine condition, Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18100794
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 18100794.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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