The Board granted a 20% rating for cervical spine strain and lumbar spine DJD from August 29, 2014 to November 13, 2019, but denied ratings in excess of 20% for these conditions. The Board also granted a 30% rating for the psychiatric disorder from August 29, 2014 to December 15, 2014 and a 10% rating for right knee arthritis from August 29, 2014.
The deciding factor: The cervical spine disability more nearly approximated forward flexion of the cervical spine greater than 15 degrees but not greater than 30 degrees, which warranted a 20 percent rating. The psychiatric disorder was found to be manifested by occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, warranting a 30% rating for the initial period.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine strain, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, Psychiatric disorder, Residuals of testicular cancer, Right knee arthritis, Left knee arthritis, Scars of the abdomen and inner left thigh, status post lymph node dissection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21062030
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board grants the appeal for readjudicating the claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder due to new and relevant evidence being received.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70 percent initial evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder and TDIU, but remanded claims for service connection for diabetes, lumbar condition, cervical condition, lung condition, and left and right lower extremity neuropathy.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for degenerative disc disease with scoliosis, right knee arthritis, and degenerative joint disease of the left knee with meniscal tear, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between these conditions and VA treatment.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee instability, left knee arthritis, right shoulder strain, and residual scars to the right shoulder, index finger, and long finger.
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