The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine and left lower extremity neuropathy as secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain. The claim for cervical spine disability is granted, while the claim for left lower extremity neuropathy is denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found new evidence that supports a causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain and his degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, but not for his left lower extremity neuropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, Left lower extremity neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19120408
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (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 19120408.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examiner's opinion regarding service connection for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine is incomplete and requires further clarification. The case is being remanded to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's current condition is related to his military service, including two claimed inservice collision injuries.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right and left lower extremity neuropathy require additional development due to missing medical evidence, specifically an EMG from June 2023. The VA examinations also did not consider the ameliorative effects of medication on the severity of the disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), both due to herbicide exposure, is granted.,Service connection for GERD secondary to PTSD is also granted. The Veteran has left lower extremity neuropathy but no current diagnosis of left upper or right lower extremity neuropathy.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical spine disability, finding that there is no evidence of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active service and no causal relationship between the current disability and any service-connected conditions.
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