The Veteran's cervical spine disorder was not shown in service or for many years thereafter and is not otherwise etiologically related to active duty service.,The Veteran's thoracolumbar disorder has been linked to an injury that pre-dated service, when a car fell on the Veteran’s back. The kidney disorder may have existed prior to service entrance.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be granted as there is no evidence of a cervical spine disorder in service or for many years thereafter and it is not otherwise etiologically related to active duty service.,The thoracolumbar disorder has been linked to an injury that pre-dated service, and the kidney disorder may have existed prior to service entrance.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disorder (residuals of a neck injury), Degenerative arthritis and degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar region, Kidney disorder (residuals of chronic kidney infections)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069901
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (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 20069901.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
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