The Board denied service connection for a cervical neck disability, finding that the Veteran's current degenerative arthritis is not related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided an opinion stating that the Veteran’s cervical spondylosis was less likely than not related to service and attributed it to aging rather than any potential accidents or injuries in service.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20072573
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (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 20072573.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's current cervical spine disability is related to service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Board denied eligibility for attorney fees as the June 2024 TDIU decision was not an initial decision on service connection claims, but rather a determination of unemployability based on previously granted conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical degenerative arthritis and anterolisthesis C4 on C5, but remanded the issues of service connection for an eye disability (including pinguecula, dry eye syndrome, and hypertensive retinopathy) and entitlement to a TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for thoracolumbar degenerative arthritis and lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration, cervical degenerative arthritis, left shoulder acromioclavicular joint degeneration, right hip strain, anxiety as secondary to the Veteran's back condition, and depression as secondary to the Veteran's back condition. The claims for service connection for a left knee condition and a right knee condition were denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.