The Board denied service connection for cervical spine degenerative joint disease, right heel pain, left heel pain, right hip strain, and left hip osteoarthritis.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability is not related to his military service.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence of a cervical spine disability during service or within one year post-service. The VA examiner opined that the cervical spine DJD is less likely caused by service-connected lumbar spine disabilities and radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative joint disease (DJD), right heel pain, left heel pain, right hip strain, left hip osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20081545
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 Board grants service connection for a right hip strain, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran based on evidence showing an onset during service and continuous symptoms since then.
- Denied
The appeal of the February 16, 2023, proposal to reduce the disability rating for right hip strain is dismissed. The Board also denied an increased disability rating for right hip strain.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, and right hip strain as secondary to the appellant's service-connected bilateral foot disabilities. The claim for a TMJ disorder was denied, along with other claims for increased ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right and left hip strain and right and left knee strain due to inadequate medical opinions.
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