The veteran's claims for temporary total disability ratings based on hospitalization and surgery were denied as he did not meet the requirements under VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The veteran was hospitalized for cervical radiculopathy, but his service-connected condition was in his lumbar spine. The treatment was unrelated to his service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of lumbar diskectomy at the level of his fifth and sixth lumbar intervertebral space (L5-6), cervical radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2002
- Citation
- 0203331
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 0203331.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cervical radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability and denied an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for a cervical spine disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder disability, cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, and secondary service connection for cervical and lumbar radiculopathies.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral sciatica and remanded the claims for cervicalgia and cervical radiculopathy due to a need for additional evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for cervical radiculopathy to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's disability is related to in-service injuries and aggravated by a service-connected lumbar condition.
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