The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is currently rated at 30 percent from May 6, 2021. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any period during the appeal.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the Veteran’s forward flexion of the cervical spine was less than or equal to 15 degrees at times, but did not meet the criteria for an increased rating under Diagnostic Codes 5242 and 5243. The Board considered other factors such as pain, flare-ups, and IVDS, but found that they did not warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22001652
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · 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 22001652.
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 Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar and cervical spine are being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ is directed to obtain an addendum medical opinion that addresses the extent of flareups experienced by the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and anxiety is granted. The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee condition, and OSA are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for reducing his disability ratings for cervical spine conditions has been withdrawn by the Veteran's representative.
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