The Veteran's cervical spondylosis status post-surgery is granted a 30 percent evaluation, effective from the entire appeal period. The Veteran’s benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and hypertension are denied evaluations greater than 10 percent. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left upper extremity (prior to October 15, 2018) is granted a 30 percent evaluation, effective from that date. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right upper extremity (prior to October 15, 2018) and unspecified anxiety disorder with other specified insomnia are denied evaluations greater than 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s cervical spondylosis status post-surgery is rated under Diagnostic Code 5242 for diseases and injuries of the spine. The VA examination report indicated forward flexion to 15 degrees or less, which meets the criteria for a 30 percent evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spondylosis status post-surgery, Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Hypertension, Tension headaches, Radiculopathy of the left upper extremity (prior to October 15, 2018), Radiculopathy of the right upper extremity (prior to October 15, 2018), Unspecified anxiety disorder with other specified insomnia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- May 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19141811
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (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 19141811.
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 the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial evaluation for tension headaches to include migraines is granted, with a rating of 50 percent effective from May 23, 2023.
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