The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted as service connected, with the Board finding that his current diagnosis and preexisting condition aggravation are related to military service.,Service connection for bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy associated with cervical spine disability is also granted. The VA examiner opined it was at least as likely as not secondary to the Veteran's cervical spine disability.,The Veteran's left ankle disability has been assigned a maximum available rating of 20 percent.
The deciding factor: Both the positive and negative evidence are in approximate balance, with the Board finding that the Veteran's cervical spine disability is related to service. The same applies for his bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy.,The VA examiner found a link between the Veteran's cervical spine disability and his bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, concluding it was secondary to the cervical spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disability, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23014220
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 23014220.
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 Board denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities due to a predecisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's past medical history needs to be considered in the new examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and cervical spine disability due to potential service connection issues related to obesity, service-connected disabilities, and other factors.
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