Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The veteran's PTSD was denied an evaluation in excess of 30 percent, his compression fracture and degenerative disc disease were granted a 20 percent evaluation, and his vitreous band of the left eye was not awarded any compensation.

The deciding factor: PTSD did not meet criteria for higher evaluations based on symptomatology. The veteran's back disability met criteria for a 20 percent evaluation due to moderate limitation of motion. The vitreous band of the left eye did not cause impairment warranting a compensable evaluation.

Claimed conditions
Compression Fracture of L1 with Degenerative Disc Disease, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Vitreous Band of the Left Eye
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
30%
Decision date
April 4, 2003
Citation
0306549

Veterans Law Judge

S. L. KENNEDY

Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0306549.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.