The Board has determined that the Veteran's current neck injury and related conditions are service-connected, as they were incurred during his active military service.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows a history of neck injuries sustained during deployment in Afghanistan, which resulted in diagnosed cervical spine issues such as disc herniation and degenerative changes. These findings align with the Veteran's reported symptoms and treatment records from his active duty period.
- Claimed conditions
- neck injury, mild left lateral protruding disc herniation at the C6-7 level, moderate to severe degenerative disc disease C5-6, C6-7, cervicalgia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2024
- Citation
- A24079402
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 A24079402.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disorder and an incomplete record of chiropractic care. The Veteran is requested to provide or authorize VA to obtain his treatment records from chiropractors, and an addendum opinion will be provided by a VA examiner.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's request to recognize his December 17, 2008 correspondence as a timely and valid Notice of Disagreement (NOD) with the November 2008 rating decision. The underlying compensation claims will be addressed in a separate Board decision under the Legacy appeal system.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence and a need for an examination to determine if the Veteran's current upper back and cervical disabilities are related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's kidney stones, neck injury, asthma, and right leg or knee disability are all granted. The Veteran is also awarded a 30% rating for his neck injury. However, the claims for service connection for asthma and right leg or right knee disabilities are remanded due to lack of proper development.
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