The Veteran's cervical spine disability is currently rated at 10 percent prior to September 30, 2008 and at 20 percent thereafter. The thoracic spine disability is rated at 10 percent prior to January 15, 2020 and at 20 percent thereafter. The right shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent prior to May 5, 2017 and at 30 percent thereafter. The left shoulder disability, right knee, and left knee disabilities are all rated at 20 percent.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability was found to have forward flexion of the cervical spine limited to 25 degrees with no additional loss during flareups or after a repeated use over periods of time, not as severe as 15 degrees or less. The thoracic spine disability had forward flexion limited to 60 degrees at worst and no ankylosis was found. The right shoulder disability had abduction limited to 40 degrees at worst and flexion limited to 75 degrees at worse. The left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities were all rated based on their respective limitations.,The Veteran's allergic rhinitis has not been manifested by polyps, greater than 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides, or complete obstruction of the nasal passage on one side.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine (Diagnostic Codes 5235 to 5243) due to the Veteran's cervical spine disability, thoracic spine disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, or left knee disability. The Veteran's allergic rhinitis has not been manifested by polyps, greater than 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides, or complete obstruction of the nasal passage on one side.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Disability, Thoracic Spine Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, Right Knee Disability, Left Knee Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20026228
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 20026228.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
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