The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his neck and back disabilities have been denied. The evidence does not show the required functional limitations to warrant higher ratings.,For the period prior to June 16, 2019, the Veteran’s cervical spine disability was rated at 10 percent disabling, which is the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 5242 for a neck disability. From June 16, 2019, the rating remained at 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show forward flexion limitation of the cervical spine to 15 degrees or less, nor favorable ankylosis of the entire cervical spine.
- Claimed conditions
- neck disability, back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20006817
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 20006817.
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.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete service treatment records and a need for additional VA examination. The Veteran's back disability is being reviewed again with new evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for back, hip, and lower extremity disabilities due to a lack of VA examination and outstanding treatment records. The Veteran's current diagnoses and lay statements will be considered in determining if his conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claim for service connection of a neck disability due to pre-decisional error in not obtaining a VA examination and medical opinion.
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