The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine disability and denied an increased rating for left shoulder disability. The Veteran's current cervical spine disability is found to be related to his military service, while the left shoulder disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports a finding that the Veteran’s cervical spine disability is at least as likely as not caused by his military service, but there was no comparable evidence linking the current left shoulder disability to service.
- Claimed conditions
- multilevel cervical spine degeneration and spondylosis (cervical spine disability), left shoulder impingement syndrome and left shoulder acromioclavicular joint degenerative joint disease with left upper extremity muscle atrophy (left shoulder disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20047400
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 20047400.
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
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