The reduction of the rating for cervical spine DJD from 30% to 20% was improper, and a restoration of the 30% rating is granted. A rating in excess of 30% for cervical spine DJD remains denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work, warranting restoration of the 30% rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the Cervical Spine, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19192748
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 19192748.
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 Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine DJD is denied. He currently receives a 40 percent disability rating, effective November 7, 2023.,The Veteran's sciatic radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities are each rated at 40 percent disabling, effective November 7, 2023.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine DJD is denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show limitation of forward flexion to 30 degrees or less, nor favorable ankylosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right medial epicondylitis and cervical spine disabilities are being remanded for further examination to determine their current severity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected lumbar spine disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to June 29, 2021, or since then. The issue of increased rating for hemorrhoids is remanded.
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