Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, and migraine headache. The cervical spine disability was not found to be related to service due to lack of evidence in the service treatment records. Bilateral hearing loss did not meet VA compensation standards as there were no audiometric results showing hearing loss for VA purposes. Migraine headaches were determined to be unrelated to service or service-connected conditions.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability was not found to have started during service and is not related to any in-service injury or disease. His bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a current disability under VA regulations, as there were no audiometric results showing hearing loss for VA purposes. Migraine headaches were determined to be unrelated to service due to lack of evidence in the service treatment records.

The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by the VA examiners found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability did not start during service, his bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a current disability under VA regulations, and his migraine headaches were unrelated to service or any service-connected conditions.

Claimed conditions
cervical spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, migraine headache
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
April 16, 2019
Citation
19129505

Veterans Law Judge

THERESA M. CATINO

Decisions by this judge: 1,350 · 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 19129505.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.