The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period; continuity of symptomatology is not established; and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's cervical spine condition was less likely than not incurred in or caused by the claimed in-service injury, event or illness due to lack of documented complaints and treatment for a neck condition during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2026
- Citation
- A26011081
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 A26011081.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a fungal infection of the feet, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, and psychiatric condition due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.
- Granted
The Veteran's right upper extremity radiculopathy is granted a 40 percent rating, and the left upper extremity radiculopathy is granted a 30 percent rating. The cervical spine degenerative arthritis does not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The cervical spine disability is rated as 20 percent prior to May 31, 2024 and 30 percent on and after that date.,PTSD is rated at 50 percent.
- Denied
The Veteran's neck disability, rated at 30 percent, is denied a higher rating as there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or other disabling conditions that would warrant a higher rating.
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