The Board denied the veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected degenerative joint and disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that the disability did not meet or approximate criteria warranting higher ratings under any applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The VA determined that the veteran's cervical spine disability did not result in more than slight limitation of motion or mild intervertebral disc syndrome, which are not sufficient to warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, radiculopathy of the left arm
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 27, 2002
- Citation
- 0218745
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 0218745.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left shoulder disability, radiculopathy of the right and left arms as secondary to cervical spine strain, chronic sinusitis, left ankle strain, cervical spine strain, and lumbar strain. An initial rating was assigned for each condition.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine and radiculopathy affecting both upper and lower extremities, while dismissing the claim for cervicogenic headaches.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, right upper extremity radiculopathy, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, and right lower extremity radiculopathy, have resulted in a combined rating of 60 percent as of March 15, 2019. The Board has granted an earlier effective date for TDIU to this point.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU grant.
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