The Veteran's cervical spine disability, characterized by limited forward flexion to 15 degrees and associated pain, is rated at a 30 percent level for the entire appeal period.
The deciding factor: The December 2020 VA examination showed that the Veteran's forward flexion of the cervical spine was limited to 15 degrees, which meets the criteria for a 30 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) with Intervertebral Disc Syndrome (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21068279
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21068279.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's DDD with IVDS should be remanded for further evaluation due to a lack of a direct service connection opinion.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's DDD with IVDS was rated at 40 percent prior to May 1, 2015 and from November 1, 2015 to May 26, 2018. From May 26, 2018, the rating is denied. The Veteran's radiculopathy of both lower extremities was rated at 20 percent each. TDIU prior to February 17, 2017, was also denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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