The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for a cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and traumatic brain injury are not supported by competent evidence of a nexus to his active service. The Veteran's STRs do not show any complaints or diagnoses related to these conditions until many years after separation from service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions were considered less probative due to the lack of review of the claims file and objective medical evidence, leading to conclusions that are inconsistent with the Veteran’s STRs which showed no symptoms or diagnoses for these conditions during active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disorder, Lumbar spine disorder, Left upper extremity radiculopathy, Right upper extremity radiculopathy, Left lower extremity radiculopathy, Right lower extremity radiculopathy, Traumatic brain injury
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2020
- Citation
- A20009443
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 A20009443.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and psychiatric disorder due to incomplete information. The Veteran needs to provide his complete service personnel records, verify his alleged combat experience in Vietnam, and undergo VA examinations for both conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a causal relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of July 10, 2024 for service connection for PTSD, lumbar strain, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy was evaluated at a 20 percent rating, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.
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