The veteran's cervical spine disability was not rated higher than 10 percent prior to September 7, 2005. From September 7, 2005, the disability was rated at 20 percent. The left arm and shoulder disabilities were not found to be related to his service-connected cervical strain with degenerative disc disease.
The deciding factor: The veteran's cervical spine disability did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic code during the period in question, thus resulting in a denial of an increased rating. The left arm and shoulder disabilities were found not to be related to his service-connected cervical strain with degenerative disc disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical strain with degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 27, 2006
- Citation
- 0612172
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,325 · Granted: 31% (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 0612172.
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical strain with degenerative disc disease is rated at 30 percent, and he is granted service connection for vertigo and cervicogenic headaches secondary to this condition.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for cervical strain with degenerative disc disease, right and left thumb, index, long, ring, and little finger degenerative arthritis, and right knee tendonitis. However, a separate rating of 10 percent was granted for the group of minor joints composed of the right and left ring and little fingers.
- Denied
The Veteran's cervical strain with degenerative disc disease is currently rated at 10 percent prior to September 20, 2021, and at 30 percent thereafter. The claim for a higher rating remains denied as the evidence does not support an increase in ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to assess the Veteran's cervical spine condition, as the previous examination did not adequately address flare-ups and their impact on function.
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