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Denied

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected lumbar spine disability was granted effective October 15, 1999. The Board found that the earlier April 1996 claim was abandoned due to the veteran's failure to provide missing evidence within one year after being requested to do so.

The deciding factor: The veteran failed to furnish any evidence in support of his April 1996 claim within one year from the September 1996 RO request for such evidence, resulting in an abandoned claim under 38 C.F.R. § 3.158(a).

Claimed conditions
degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
20%
Decision date
June 28, 2001
Citation
0117341

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 0117341.

What this means for you

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