The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine is currently rated at 10 percent from November 1, 2006 to September 25, 2019 and at 20 percent thereafter. The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the entire period on appeal.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's range of motion was found to be more nearly approximated forward flexion of the cervical spine greater than 15 degrees but not greater than 30 degrees, which meets the criteria for a 20 percent rating under DC 5242.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20073956
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,164 · Granted: 31% (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 20073956.
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 Veteran's cervical spine disability has been rated at 20% since April 2020 and is now rated at 30% throughout the appeal period. The rating is based on forward flexion limited to 15 degrees or less, with no ankylosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of cervical spine, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and scar on neck as secondary to a lumbar spine disability due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial evaluation more than 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of cervical spine and more than 30 percent for right upper extremity (RUE) radiculopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome to ensure adequate examinations are conducted.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder and cervical spine, finding that there is no persuasive evidence linking these conditions to service.
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