The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine disorder, emphysema, radiculopathy of the left and right upper extremities, internal hemorrhoids, hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, and major depressive disorder. The Veteran was granted a 70 percent rating for major depressive disorder from February 20, 2015.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease involving the cervical spine, and the current diagnosis of cervical disc disease and cervicalgia did not begin during service. The Veteran's emphysema was determined to be due to his long history of smoking rather than a service-connected disability. Radiculopathy of the upper extremities was found to be secondary to the nonservice-connected cervical spine disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disorder, emphysema, radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, raticulopathy of the right upper extremity, internal hemorrhoids, major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 27, 2018
- Citation
- 18114640
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 18114640.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his active military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.
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