The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine strain and right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, finding that there is no evidence of in-service injury or aggravation, and that any current disabilities are not related to military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses were less likely than not due to his military service based on lack of treatment records and complaints at separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Strain, Right Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2026
- Citation
- A26029193
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 A26029193.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 determined that the decision on appeal is legally inadequate due to insufficient notification and an inadequately supported medical opinion. The case is being remanded for further action.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine, bilateral shoulder, and right ankle disabilities are remanded for further evaluation. The Veteran also has claims for increased ratings for tension headaches and sinusitis, which are also remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 40 percent rating from September 28, 2019 for the Veteran's service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome with disc herniation L3-S1, status post discectomy L3-4 and L4-5. The other conditions have been rated based on their direct service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been denied. The appeal for service connection of a cervical spine disorder is remanded due to the need for a VA medical opinion.
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