The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his cervical spine disability (neck strain) was denied as the evidence did not show that it caused forward flexion of the cervical spine to less than 30 degrees or resulted in abnormal gait, spinal contour, muscle spasm, or guarding.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's range of motion and symptoms were within normal limits, failing to meet the criteria for a higher rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- neck strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 15, 2023
- Citation
- 23061152
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 23061152.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA medical nexus opinion and failure to obtain relevant non-VA medical records.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension, neck strain, and pseudofolliculitis barbae (razor bumps, shave bumps, or ingrown hairs) as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions. The Veteran's tinnitus was assigned the maximum schedular rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, as well as to obtain additional medical records. The Veteran's neck strain and PTSD issues are being reviewed due to the lack of relevant treatment records from certain VA facilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to errors in notification letters.
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