The veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical spine, lumbar degenerative disc disease, and thoracic spine disabilities were denied as the evidence did not show that his service-connected conditions warranted higher disability evaluations.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations showed no severe intervertebral disc syndrome or other neurological findings appropriate to the site of a diseased disc. The veteran's range of motion was within normal limits for cervical spine motion prior to January 2001 and moderately limited from that date onwards, with no incapacitating episodes in the past year.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the cervical spine with degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral spine, osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 5, 2005
- Citation
- 0518275
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 0518275.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine was granted with an effective date set at May 2, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine is remanded due to an incomplete VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasons or bases for denying an increased evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected low back disability. The Court found that the Board failed to address evidence indicating additional functional loss and disregarded the Veteran's statements about pain and movement limitations.
- Denied
The Board denied a higher rating for the Veteran's lumbosacral strain with osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine, finding that his disability did not meet or more nearly approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent.
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