The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is currently rated at 20 percent, the maximum schedular rating available. The Board found that his forward flexion was to 25 degrees, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5243.
The deciding factor: The objective medical evidence did not show ankylosis or limitation of motion sufficient to warrant a higher disability rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20073968
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 20073968.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection was denied for a groin condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates as they were received more than one year after her intent to file a claim, and no good cause extension was requested.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment after his last date of employment on March 30, 2018. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from March 31, 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the severity of these conditions.
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