The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current disabilities and his in-service injury. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have arthritis during service or within one year after separation.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish a link between the Veteran's current cervical strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine and his in-service injury, as there was no diagnosis of arthritis during service and the Veteran's reports of ongoing neck pain since service are inconsistent with documented medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical strain, degenerative arthritis of the spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2019
- Citation
- A19003402
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A19003402.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were granted effective from July 1, 2020.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to a procedural defect in filing the claims on the correct form.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine was granted. The claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and residuals of head injuries and concussions are remanded.
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