The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, claimed as secondary to degenerative spondylosis of the lumbar spine with DDD, has been reopened. The appeal is granted in part and denied in part. Service connection for prostate cancer, sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) are also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's cervical spine disorder was characterized as secondary to degenerative spondylosis of the lumbar spine with DDD, which is a service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disorder, degenerative spondylosis of the lumbar spine with degenerative disc disease (DDD), prostate cancer, sleep apnea, acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20073646
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 20073646.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
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