The Board denied service connection for residuals of neck injury, residuals of back injury, and radiculopathy in the extremities (claimed as peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities).,The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during or were otherwise related to active duty service.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be granted purely based on assertions of continuous symptoms since active duty. The Veteran's separation examination in October 1989 was silent for complaints of neck or back pain, and he did not report any such symptoms during the subsequent years.,The VA examiners concluded that the current cervical spine/neck and lumbar spine disabilities are less likely than not related to service due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to in-service events. The examiner also noted a 23-year gap between separation from active duty and diagnosis of radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of neck injury, residuals of back injury, radiculopathy in the extremities (claimed as peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2021
- Citation
- 21005241
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 21005241.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of back injury should be remanded due to a failure to provide a VA examination and medical opinion, which is necessary to determine if his current disability is related to his military service.
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