The Board has determined that the Veteran's back and neck disabilities are not related to his active military service, and therefore, denied both claims.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish a link between the current back and neck disabilities and the Veteran’s service.
- Claimed conditions
- Back Disability (Thoracolumbar Spine), Neck Disability (Cervical Spine)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18154172
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 18154172.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of May 4, 2021 for the grants of service connection for anxiety disorder, back disability (Thoracolumbar Spine), right hand strain, left hand strain, sciatica right lower extremity, and sciatica left lower extremity. The Veteran's increased evaluation for his left shoulder disability is also granted as of May 4, 2021.
- Denied
The Veteran's right shoulder tendonitis and back disability have been rated at the maximum available under VA regulations, with no evidence of ankylosis or other conditions warranting higher ratings.,For her lower extremity radiculopathy, a separate rating is granted from January 31, 2014 to June 13, 2016; however, a higher rating is denied after that period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment from March 13, 2015 through December 2, 2018. The case is referred for extraschedular TDIU consideration.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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