The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine disability, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability is at least as likely as not related to his active military service due to reported symptoms of stiffness and pain following deployment in Southwest Asia.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disability, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 1, 2025
- Citation
- 25004380
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, radiculopathies, a bladder disability, headaches, a left knee disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral conjunctivitis. The Board also granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a cervical spine disability to obtain an addendum medical opinion addressing the Veteran's in-service treatment for pack palsy with residual weakness.
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