The Board has granted DIC benefits based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his neck and back disabilities are causally related to his military service. The Board also found that the Veteran’s cause of death is related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The August 2020 VA medical opinion concluded that it is at least as likely as not that the cervical spine condition (degenerative disease with myelopathy status post cervical decompression fusion) and lumbar spine condition are causally related to the Veteran's military service, including his in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- neck disability (degenerative disease with myelopathy status post cervical decompression fusion), lumbar spine degenerative disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2021
- Citation
- 21002120
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 21002120.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was not found to meet the criteria for a higher rating, as it did not demonstrate forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine at or below 30 degrees.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further consideration of his claims, including service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and the rating for his back disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and insufficient examinations. The Veteran is seeking service connection for various orthopedic conditions, including lumbar spine degenerative disease, bilateral hips, knees, legs, and feet, as well as hypertension, jaw condition, and headaches.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic kidney disease and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to January 27, 2021. From that date, his combined disability rating was 100 percent due to the combination of all his service-connected conditions.
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