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Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his ankylosing spondylosis of the lumbar, cervical, and thoracic spine as well as for a dilated aortic root. The veteran's service-connected conditions are rated based on their current manifestations.

The deciding factor: The evidence did not support granting higher disability ratings for any of the veteran's service-connected spinal disabilities or for his dilated aortic root.

Claimed conditions
ankylosing spondylosis of the cervical spine, ankylosing spondylosis of the lumbar spine, ankylosing spondylosis of the thoracic spine
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
May 23, 2003
Citation
0309913

Veterans Law Judge

Shane A. Durkin

Decisions by this judge: 1,325 · Granted: 31% (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 0309913.

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

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