The Board found that the reduction in ratings for the veteran's service-connected residuals of a vertebral fracture was warranted due to sustained, material improvement in his condition. However, the requirements for restoration were not met.
The deciding factor: There was objective evidence demonstrating sustained, material improvement in the severity of the veteran's service-connected residuals of a fractured vertebra, including improvements in the use of his lower extremities and creative organ.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of use of both lower extremities, neurogenic bowel, loss of sexual function, loss of motor function in the middle and lower chest area, vertebral fracture with cord involvement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2006
- Citation
- 0604704
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 0604704.
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: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The claims for PTSD, neck scars, quadriplegia, bladder and bowel issues have all been dismissed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded all issues except for the ones related to SMC, SAH, and earlier effective date for service connection. The Veteran is granted SMC under certain conditions, certificate of eligibility for SAH, and increased rate of SMC at a specific rate.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's neurogenic bowel and bladder condition, which may be related to her service-connected fibromyalgia.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for neurogenic bowel and remanded the issue of entitlement to a higher initial rating.
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