The Veteran's disability ratings for chronic cervical strain and chronic lumbar strain have been denied. The Veteran has a 10% rating for his chronic cervical strain, but the higher rating is not granted due to lack of forward flexion or range of motion.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s cervical spine disability does not meet the criteria for a greater than 10 percent evaluation as it fails to demonstrate forward flexion of the cervical spine at least 30 degrees and combined range of motion less than 170 degrees, even considering functional loss due to pain, fatigue, weakness, lack of endurance, and/or incoordination.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical strain, Lumbar strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19190567
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 19190567.
What this means for you
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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 claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for cervical strain, service connection for left leg pain (claimed as joint pain), and service connection for a left ear hearing condition are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of July 10, 2024 for service connection for PTSD, lumbar strain, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability and other disabilities have been granted, including a TDIU based on his inability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical strain, low back disability, bilateral upper extremity peripheral nerve disability, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral nerve disability. The conditions are related to the Veteran's active service.
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