The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected dorsolumbar paravertebral myositis scoliosis, finding that his back disability was manifested by arthritic changes, disc space narrowing, mild limitation of motion and muscle spasm. The RO had previously granted a 20 percent evaluation effective November 1992.
The deciding factor: The veteran's back disability did not meet the criteria for an increased rating under the old or new VA rating criteria as his range of motion was within the limits required for a 20 percent evaluation, and he did not have any additional functional loss due to pain, weakness, fatigue, or incoordination.
- Claimed conditions
- dorsolumbar paravertebral myositis, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 29, 2004
- Citation
- 0420632
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 0420632.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 40% prior to September 28, 2018. From that date, the rating was increased to 50%. The earlier effective date for TDIU is denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher level of SMC was denied as he does not meet the criteria for any additional levels of SMC based on his service-connected disabilities.
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