The veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities have been rated at 20 percent since March 1, 1994. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating based on the severity of the conditions.
The deciding factor: The objective findings from VA examinations did not show symptoms approaching severe intervertebral disc syndrome or vertebral fracture/bony fixation/ankylosis, which are necessary for increased ratings under specific codes. The veteran's complaints were limited to pain and limitation of motion without other significant functional impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Arthritis, Lumbar Spine Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- August 6, 2002
- Citation
- 0209157
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 0209157.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board has remanded the cases for additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current DDD and lumbar spine arthritis, as well as bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, are proximately caused or aggravated by his service-connected testicular cancer.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied prior to March 17, 2017 due to his service-connected orthopedic disabilities. From March 17, 2017, the Veteran has been granted a TDIU based solely on his service-connected orthopedic disabilities.,The Veteran is now eligible for SMC at the housebound rate since November 22, 2017 due to his combined rating of 100 percent and other service-connected disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent.
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