BVA decisions by condition
Cervical spine disability: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a cervical spine disability issue in 721 decisions. It granted the cervical spine disability issue in 0.6% of them, below the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 8.5%, and remanded it in 88.2%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 6.2% were granted.
Decisions
721
2018–2026
Granted
0.6%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
6.2%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
88.2%
Denied: 8.5%
Cervical spine disability outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 81 | 0.0% | 8.6% | 86.4% |
| 2019 | 87 | 2.3% | 9.2% | 88.5% |
| 2020 | 75 | 0.0% | 10.7% | 85.3% |
| 2021 | 79 | 0.0% | 7.6% | 88.6% |
| 2022 | 98 | 0.0% | 3.1% | 91.8% |
| 2023 | 90 | 0.0% | 7.8% | 88.9% |
| 2024 | 97 | 1.0% | 10.3% | 88.7% |
| 2025 | 87 | 1.1% | 12.6% | 83.9% |
Evidence in granted and denied cervical spine disability decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the cervical spine disability issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treating physician opinion | 43 | 50.0% | 4.8% | +45.2 pts |
| Combat service | 48 | 40.0% | 3.3% | +36.7 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 188 | 25.0% | 3.5% | +21.5 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 274 | 13.6% | 2.3% | +11.3 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 161 | 9.1% | 5.6% | +3.5 pts |
| Lay statement | 632 | 6.7% | 5.0% | +1.7 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 100.0% of the decisions that granted cervical spine disability.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 75.0% of grants and 16.4% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often cervical spine disability was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfavorable VA exam | 606 | 6.3% | 5.9% | +0.4 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 419 | 5.7% | 6.7% | −1.0 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied cervical spine disability
Most common reasons in grants
- Competent and credible lay evidence of in-service neck pain and continuity of symptoms1
- Competent and credible VA medical opinion1
- Competent evidence indicates neck disability related to active duty service1
- Current diagnosis established1
- Evidence is evenly balanced regarding relationship to service1
- Veteran's statements regarding in-service injury and onset/progression of pain are credible1
Most common reasons in denials
- Criteria for rating in excess of 30 percent not met1
- Disability did not manifest by ankylosis1
- Evidence persuasively against finding service connection1
- Service treatment records do not corroborate in-service neck injury1
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service1
- Veteran's lay assertions insufficient to establish service connection without competent medical nexus1
- Criteria for entitlement not met1
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent cervical spine disability decisions
Granted
Resolving reasonable doubt in Veteran's favor; Competent and credible VA medical opinion; Opinion found current disability related to active service
Competent and credible lay evidence of in-service neck pain and continuity of symptoms.; Evidence is evenly balanced regarding relationship to service.; Reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the veteran.
Competent evidence indicates neck disability related to active duty service.; Veteran's statements regarding in-service injury and onset/progression of pain are credible.; Evidence found to be in equipoise regarding nexus to service.
Denied
Criteria for rating in excess of 30 percent not met; Disability did not manifest by ankylosis
Evidence persuasively against finding service connection.; Criteria for entitlement not met.
Service treatment records do not corroborate in-service neck injury.; VA examiner found neck disability less likely than not related to service.; Veteran's lay assertions insufficient to establish service connection without competent medical nexus.
Rules that apply to cervical spine disability claims
- 38 CFR 3.303
Principles of service connection
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your cervical spine disability case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Rates count decisions in which the Board decided a cervical spine disability issue, by the outcome of that issue. Other issues in the same decision can have different outcomes.
- “Granted on the merits” leaves out remands and dismissals. “All conditions” is the grant share across every condition issue in the data.
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2018–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.