The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine, thoracic spine, and cardiac disabilities are not service-connected as they were not incurred or aggravated during his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no evidence of a chronic disability in service and concluded that any current disabilities are less likely related to the claimed inservice injuries.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disability, Thoracic spine disability, Cardiac disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19147301
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 granted service connection for a cardiac disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected asthma and COPD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for low back disability, cervical spine disability, and right leg nerve disability as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for right ear hearing loss and a compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss were dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals at a December 2024 Board hearing. The remaining claims are being remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a separate 50 percent initial rating for insomnia as secondary to tinnitus, and denied an increased rating for tinnitus. The Board also granted service connection for headache disability, low back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine disability, and right upper extremity radiculopathy.
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