The Board found that the veteran's disability rating for his thoracic spine residuals should remain at 20 percent, as there was no evidence of an unusual disability picture or additional impairment not accounted for by the current rating.
The deciding factor: The VA examination and medical records did not provide sufficient evidence to warrant a higher disability rating beyond 20 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- compression fractures of the thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- February 1, 2001
- Citation
- 0103216
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 0103216.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his thoracolumbar spine disability is denied as the evidence does not show ankylosis or other disabling conditions that would warrant a rating greater than 40 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining outstanding records. The claim will be readjudicated after the additional development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to inadequate examination in the original rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine the severity of the Veteran's back disability. The issue remains on appeal and will be reviewed again after further development.
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