The Veteran's cervicothoracic dysfunction prior to March 28, 2017 is rated at 20 percent and the appeal for a higher rating is denied.,The Veteran's chronic headaches are currently rated as non-compensable (0%) and the appeal for a compensable rating is granted.,The Veteran's facial dyschromia is rated as moderate incomplete paralysis and the appeal for a higher rating is remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s cervical spine had limited forward flexion to 45 degrees, with functional limitation due to pain and muscle spasm severe enough to result in reverse lordosis. The current disability rating of 20 percent for cervicothoracic dysfunction is based on this finding.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervicothoracic dysfunction, Chronic headaches, Facial dyschromia (also claimed as facial numbness)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20069638
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,454 · Granted: 23% (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 20069638.
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
The Veteran's PTSD is granted a rating of 70 percent, but no higher. The other conditions are remanded for further review.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for cervical spine disability was denied, as the evidence did not show ankylosis or forward flexion to 15 degrees or less.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for chronic headaches was granted with a 50% rating.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for service connection for chronic headaches and obstructive sleep apnea.
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