The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine osteoarthritis and degenerative disc and spondylosis of the thoracic spine do not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent. However, due to his combined disability rating of 90 percent and the severity of his service-connected disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea, right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension, and tinnitus, the Board has granted TDIU.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's combined disability rating is 90 percent, which meets the threshold for TDIU. His service-connected cervical spine osteoarthritis and degenerative disc and spondylosis of the thoracic spine do not meet the criteria for a higher rating as they are currently evaluated at 20 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine osteoarthritis, Degenerative disc and spondylosis of the thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 1, 2016
- Citation
- 1608095
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 1608095.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine osteoarthritis and tinnitus, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities as secondary to service-connected hepatitis C due to new evidence presented in his September 2022 Appellate brief.
- Denied
The Veteran's cervical spine disability was rated at 10% prior to December 5, 2019 and at 30% from December 5, 2019 to July 1, 2021. The Board found a uniform 30% rating for the entire period prior to July 1, 2021. After July 1, 2021, the Veteran's cervical spine disability was rated at 20%. A higher rating is not warranted.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability was granted a 20 percent evaluation prior to November 9, 2021. From November 9, 2021 onwards, the Veteran is not entitled to an increased rating.
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