The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine.,Service connection was denied for GERD, as there is no evidence linking it to service or a service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current diagnosis of degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine likely began during his period of active service due to an in-service injury. The Board found that the Veteran experienced neck pain since service and provided sufficient medical opinions supporting this finding.,There is no evidence linking GERD to service or a service-connected condition, including complex regional pain syndrome. The VA examiner's opinion was based on the absence of documentation in STRs, which is considered inadequate without considering lay statements.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2021
- Citation
- 21040025
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 21040025.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted a 70% rating, effective July 15, 2024. The Veteran's GERD remains at a 10% rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted at a 70 percent rating prior to July 29, 2024. The GERD rating remains at 30 percent disabled but no higher.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's IBS with GERD was granted an initial 60 percent rating. The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and development.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
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