The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected cervical spine disability was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not provide sufficient functional loss or other relevant information to support an increased rating, and the Court found that the August 2010 and September 2021 VA examinations were inadequate in this regard.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spondylosis, Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 19, 2024
- Citation
- 24034482
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 24034482.
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
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The Board has granted the readjudication of the claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, but denied the claims for service connection for cervical spine disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and breathing condition.
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The Veteran's right knee strain with arthritis is currently rated at 10 percent, the maximum allowable rating under Diagnostic Code 5010 prior to February 7, 2021. The Veteran's GERD with hiatal hernia and irritable bowel syndrome is not rated higher than 30 percent.
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