The Board granted an initial disability rating of 20 percent for cervical disc degeneration, but no higher.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms more nearly approximated forward flexion of 30 degrees or less during the appeal period, warranting a 20 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical disc degeneration
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25045204
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 A25045204.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical disc degeneration as secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral spondylosis with stenosis, based on a lack of competent evidence linking the two conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for cervical disc degeneration and spondylolisthesis as there was no evidence of an in-service injury, disease, or event, nor any continuity of symptomatology since service. The VA examiner opined that the conditions were less likely than not related to the veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical disc degeneration and left cervical radiculopathy, finding that these conditions are secondary to the Veteran's right shoulder gunshot wound.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current cervical spine disability existed prior to his period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) in April 1997 and if so, whether it was aggravated by a fall during that time.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.