Service connection is granted for cervical spine and right shoulder disabilities.,Service connection is granted for a respiratory disability (mild restrictive lung disease).,Service connection is denied for right hand carpal tunnel syndrome with arthritis, as there is no current diagnosis or medical nexus to service.,Service connection is denied for chronic headaches, as the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis and there is insufficient evidence of a link to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations confirmed that the Veteran's current diagnoses were caused by his in-service injuries.,There was no indication of any respiratory condition during service, and the mild restriction found decades after separation is considered too remote to be related to service.,No medical opinion could be provided as there was no diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis.,The Veteran's current headaches are not linked to his in-service neck pain.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disability, Right shoulder disability, Right hand carpal tunnel syndrome with arthritis, Respiratory disability, Chronic headaches, to include as secondary to cervical spine disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19180142
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (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 19180142.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent, the maximum rating available under the General Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The evidence does not support a higher rating as his range of motion did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for brain cancer, low back disability, and cervical spine disability due to a pre-decisional error in failing to obtain a radiation dose estimate from the Under Secretary for Health. The Veteran's military service aboard USS ENTERPRISE is considered relevant to his exposure to ionizing radiation.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine condition had its onset in service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating of his cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, left shoulder, right shoulder, upper extremity neurological, and lower extremity neurological disabilities due to inadequate VA medical examinations in March 2019 and January-May 2016. The new examinations must consider the Veteran's reported onset dates for his symptoms.
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