The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an upper back disorder, finding that there is no evidence to support a nexus between his current cervical and thoracic spine disorders and his service-connected lumbar spine condition.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding of secondary causation or aggravation of the Veteran’s cervical and thoracic spine disorders by his service-connected lumbar spine disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21000781
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 21000781.
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 determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and upper back disorders require further examination to determine their etiology.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder but denied service connection for an upper back disorder.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a VA examination to address service connection and rating issues.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for anxiety, depression, headaches, a neck disorder, an upper back disorder, a lower back disorder, and a left arm disorder as there was no evidence of current disabilities during the appeal period.
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