The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected intervertebral disc disease was denied due to his failure to report for a VA examination without good cause.
The deciding factor: The veteran failed to report for a required VA examination, which is necessary to determine the level of disability due to his service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- intervertebral disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2003
- Citation
- 0304344
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0304344.
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: Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of January 13, 2020 for the service connection of low back disability and related radiculopathy issues. The Veteran's claims were reopened due to new evidence submitted in January 2020.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 20% rating for lumbar strain, which was previously reduced to 0%. The reduction was improper due to clear and unmistakable error (CUE).
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for lumbar and neck conditions on a direct basis, finding that the current conditions are not causally related to in-service injuries.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for thoracolumbar degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc disease, finding that the disability began during a period of active duty or active duty for training.
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