The veteran's claim for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes was denied because he failed to appear for VA examinations scheduled in December 1998 and April 2000, and there is no evidence of record showing that his disabilities render him permanently and totally disabled.
The deciding factor: The veteran failed to appear for VA examinations which were necessary to assess the severity of his disabilities. As a result, the Board could not evaluate whether he met the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, Arthritis of multiple joints, Scar of the lateral corner of the right eye, Osteoarthritis of the right shoulder and hip, Status post inguinal hernia repair, Varicose veins of the right leg, History of hepatitis C
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2001
- Citation
- 0108052
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0108052.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that there is no nexus between the current disability and active duty service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions are aggravated by his service-connected DDD of the lumbosacral spine. The AOJ is required to obtain new medical opinions addressing this issue.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities prior to October 22, 2008 are being remanded due to the need for additional retrospective medical opinions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
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