The Veteran's cervical strain with degenerative arthritis is granted a 20 percent rating, effective June 29, 2018. The Veteran's initial increased rating claim for headaches remains on appeal.
The deciding factor: The September 2019 VA examination showed the Veteran’s forward flexion of the cervical spine to be 30 degrees and the combined range of motion to be less than 170 degrees, with muscle spasm severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour. These findings supported a grant of a 20 percent rating for the entire appellate period.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical strain with degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20024322
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 20024322.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disorders, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD was granted a rating of 100 percent effective April 10, 2018, due to the severity of his symptoms.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for cervical strain with degenerative arthritis and PTSD, but granted a 10 percent rating for temporomandibular joint disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cervical spine condition is remanded due to a duty to assist error. An adequate VA medical opinion is required.
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