The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's neck disability, finding that there is no medical evidence linking his current cervical spine conditions to an in-service motor vehicle accident injury. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's current disabilities and his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found that the Veteran’s current cervical spine disabilities are not at least as likely as not related to the whiplash injury he suffered in service, based on current peer-reviewed medical literature.
- Claimed conditions
- neck injury, cervical degenerative disc disease with cervical stenosis, cervical radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2018
- Citation
- 18142039
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 18142039.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cervical radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability and denied an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for a cervical spine disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a neck injury, left shoulder injury, and low back injury as the evidence did not support that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder disability, cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, and secondary service connection for cervical and lumbar radiculopathies.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for flat feet, tinnitus, and a neck injury due to an improper concurrent election of administrative review options.
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