The Board has decided the Veteran's claims regarding his cervical spine disability, left elbow contusion residuals, left inguinal hernia, and left varicocelectomy. The cervical spine claim is denied. For the left elbow contusion, a 10% rating is granted from November 21, 2017. The left inguinal hernia and left varicocelectomy ratings remain unchanged.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to establish service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine disability due to lack of credible evidence supporting a neck injury during service. For the left elbow contusion, the Board noted that pain reported by the Veteran post-2017 warranted a 10% rating effective from November 21, 2017. The left inguinal hernia and left varicocelectomy ratings were unchanged as there was no evidence of recurrence or other complications.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disability, Left elbow contusion, Left inguinal hernia, Left varicocelectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2018
- Citation
- 18139966
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 18139966.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 low back disability, cervical spine disability, and right leg nerve disability as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for right ear hearing loss and a compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss were dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals at a December 2024 Board hearing. The remaining claims are being remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a separate 50 percent initial rating for insomnia as secondary to tinnitus, and denied an increased rating for tinnitus. The Board also granted service connection for headache disability, low back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine disability, and right upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, a cervical spine disability, and right ear hearing loss but denied service connection for sinusitis. The left ear hearing loss claim was remanded.
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