Cervical spine grants parallel lumbar grants but see fewer claims overall. The common thread is in-service neck complaints (often from parachute jumps, heavy-gear wear, MVAs) or secondary to a service-connected shoulder or TBI condition.
Top 5 recent grants
Ranked by decision date. Each card shows verbatim Findings of Fact and Reasons & Bases pulled directly from the Board's published decision — no summarization, no AI rewording.
Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)
1. For the entire period on appeal, the Veteran's TBI residuals were manifested by occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas. 2. The Veteran is not eligible for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(2); and in the absence of such regular aid and attendance, would require hospitalization, nursing home care, or other residential institutional care due to his service-connected TBI residuals. 3.…
Reasons & Bases (verbatim excerpts from decision)
The Veteran's currently assigned 40 percent rating for TBI is based on a finding of cognitive impairment. Specifically, this rating was based on a prior assignment of a "2" for the Veteran's memory, attention, concentration, and executive functions, as indicated by the June 2010 VA examiner. […] The Board determines that SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(t) is warranted. As explained above, the Veteran is not eligible for SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(2). Moreover, the evidence shows that, in the absence of the regular aid and attendance provided by the Veteran's wife, he would require hospitalization, nursing home care, or other residential institutional care, as discussed by Dr. G. T. in her October 2025 private medical opinion. While Dr. G. T. found that SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(t) is warranted as far back as September 2011, the Board determines that SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(t) is warranted from October 1, 2011, the earliest effective date possible under statute, which is also requested by the Veteran and his representative in the January 2026 Appellate Brief. See Pub. L. 111-275, 124 Stat. 2864 (2010).
Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)
Resolving all doubt in the Veteran's favor, his neck disability onset during active service.
Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)
1. Affording the Veteran the benefit of the doubt, the symptoms of her chronic lumbar spine disability onset in service and have continued since. 2. Affording the Veteran the benefit of the doubt, the symptoms of her chronic cervical spine disability onset in service and have continued since. 3. Affording the Veteran the benefit of the doubt, the symptoms of her chronic bilateral shoulder disability onset in service and have continued since.
Reasons & Bases (verbatim excerpts from decision)
The Veteran is competent to report on that which she ascertains through her senses, including when she began to experience pain in her neck, low back, and bilateral shoulders. See Layno v. Brown, 6 Vet. App. 465, 470 (1994) (a veteran is competent to report on that of which he or she has personal knowledge). The Board has no reason to question her credibility. Thus, her competent lay reports regarding the onset of her current arthritis symptoms are highly probative evidence supporting service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine, cervical spine, and bilateral shoulder disabilities.
Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)
The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis and DDD are related to service.
Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)
The Veteran's cervical spine disability is due to his service-connected bilateral knee disability.
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How to use these decisions in your claim
- ›Even a single in-service sick-call entry for neck pain can support the claim under § 3.303.
- ›Cervical strain secondary to shoulder or TBI is commonly granted — cite biomechanical compensation.
- ›Under § 4.71a, the same General Rating Formula applies to cervical and lumbar spine — know the threshold for your desired rating.
- ›BVA decisions are non-precedential under 38 CFR § 20.1303 but the Board and rating officials regularly find recent analogous decisions persuasive — especially when your facts materially match.
- ›Paste the suggested-citation line into VA Form 21-4138 (Statement in Support of Claim), then attach the full decision PDF as an exhibit.
More BVA grant guides
BVA decisions are public-record Department of Veterans Affairs rulings. Under 38 CFR § 20.1303 they are non-precedential but may be cited as persuasive evidence of how the Board has treated similar facts. NexusVetClaims provides software, not legal representation. This page shows retrieval output from the nexusvetclaims.com BVA corpus and is updated as new decisions are indexed.