The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the veteran's cervical spine disability, which is more than the initial 10 percent assigned in September 2002. The effective date remains pending as it was not specified.
The deciding factor: The VA examination and medical records supported the need for an increased rating based on the severity of the veteran's cervical spine disability, including limitation of motion and pain with activity.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 14, 2006
- Citation
- 0607332
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,547 · Granted: 20% (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 0607332.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal regarding TDIU is being remanded for further review. The issue of an increased rating for cervical spine DJD has not been properly appealed and will be considered separately.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including the evaluation of DJD of the thoracolumbar and cervical spine, separate ratings for radiculopathy, service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to service-connected disabilities, and TDIU. The effective date issue remains pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral neuropathy of the upper extremities and cervical spine DJD due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives. The VA examinations did not fully address whether the Veteran's conditions are related to service or caused by his service-connected right shoulder condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection of a left shoulder disability, increased rating for headaches and cervical spine disability are remanded. The initial rating claim for right shoulder tendinopathy/tendinosis remains denied.
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