The Board has determined that new and material evidence was presented to reopen the claim of service connection for a cervical spine disability. The Veteran's current diagnosis of cervical spine degenerative disc disease is considered etiologically related to his active duty service, with the opinion of a VA physician supporting this conclusion.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion by Dr. B., who took into account the Veteran's lay statements about his neck pain, concluded that it was more likely than not (greater than 50 percent probability) that the trauma suffered during the Veteran’s military service contributed to and aggravated the Veteran’s cervical spine arthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Degenerative Disc Disease
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19101067
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,077 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19101067.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his cervical spine disability and left upper extremity radiculopathy ratings, finding that no pending claim prior to March 10, 2020, supported these requests.
- Granted
The Veteran's wife has been providing regular care and assistance to the Veteran since February 13, 2017 due to his service-connected disabilities. The Board grants an effective date of February 13, 2017 for SMC based on need for aid and attendance.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a left hip disability, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, and thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease with arthritis. The right hip disability was denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain gainful employment, meeting the criteria for a TDIU from September 1, 2018.
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