The Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability was granted. However, the claim itself remains denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between his current cervical spine disability and an in-service injury or disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s cervical spine degenerative disc disease is less likely related to his April 2010 motor vehicle accident and resulting cervical strain, due to the nature of whiplash injuries not causing herniated discs. The private treatment record also did not support a nexus between service and current symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19155804
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 19155804.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection was denied for a groin condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates as they were received more than one year after her intent to file a claim, and no good cause extension was requested.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment after his last date of employment on March 30, 2018. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from March 31, 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the severity of these conditions.
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