The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical strain disability (claimed as residuals of a neck injury) is denied because there is no evidence of a chronic condition during or immediately after active service, and the VA examiner found it less likely than not that the current cervical strain disability was caused by his military service.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for lumbar disc disease disability is denied as there is no evidence showing any incapacitating episodes in the past 12 months.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence of a chronic cervical strain disability during or immediately after active service. The VA examiner found it less likely than not that the current cervical strain disability was caused by his military service.,The Veteran's lumbar disc disease disability has resulted in forward flexion for the thoracolumbar spine greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 60 degrees, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Strain Disability (claimed as residuals of a neck injury), Lumbar Disc Disease Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19159969
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 940 · Granted: 21% (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 19159969.
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.
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- Whole decision: Denied
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- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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