The veteran's cervical spine disability is manifested by X-ray evidence of degenerative changes at the cervical spine and severe chronic neck pain, warranting an initial evaluation of 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and medical records supported a diagnosis of arthritis of the cervical spine with associated chronic neck pain, which warranted a higher rating than the current 10 percent assigned under Diagnostic Code 5003.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the cervical spine, Emphysema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- February 12, 2004
- Citation
- 0404180
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,613 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0404180.
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.
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- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was listed as emphysema, but the Board found no causal connection to service or a service-connected disability. The Veteran did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
- Granted
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a respiratory disorder, including claims related to asbestos exposure and claimed ionizing radiation exposure. The evidence did not support a link between any in-service exposures and the current diagnoses.
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