The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection for headaches and head injury, cervical spine DDD, and thoracolumbar spine DDD. The claims were remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's arguments regarding CUE in the November 1986 decision did not present valid bases for such a claim as they related to simple weighing of evidence rather than clear and unmistakable error.
- Claimed conditions
- Headaches and head injury, Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine, Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19186221
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (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 19186221.
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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete records and inadequate VA opinions. The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder, psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), and hypertension are all being reviewed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a cervical spine disability and lumbar spine disability as further development is needed to obtain an adequate medical opinion.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for PTSD and remanded the claims for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine, bilateral trochanteric pain syndrome, and a gastrointestinal disability, to obtain additional medical opinions.
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