The Veteran's initial rating of 20 percent for cervical spine strain with DDD prior to April 6, 2017 is granted. However, the Veteran's request for a higher rating in excess of 20 percent from that date forward and his claims for service connection for left and right knee conditions are remanded due to additional development being required.
The deciding factor: The VA examination conducted on April 6, 2017, indicated that the Veteran’s cervical spine condition resulted in limited range of motion (ROM) with forward flexion to only 30 degrees. This is below the threshold for a higher rating under the applicable criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20047337
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 20047337.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
A 30 percent rating for cervical spine strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD) from May 18, 2018 is granted.,A 20 percent rating for right upper extremity radiculopathy prior to November 8, 2019 and a 30 percent rating thereafter is granted.,A rating higher than 40 percent for skin sores from August 13, 2018 is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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