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Denied

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for increased ratings for prostatitis and lumbar spine muscle strain are denied as there is no evidence showing a preponderance of the evidence supports an earlier effective date or higher rating.

The deciding factor: The medical records do not show that the veteran was precluded from following a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities prior to August 22, 2001. The VA examinations and treatment records indicate that the veteran's prostatitis is currently manifested by symptoms such as chronic urinary frequency, urgency, and discomfort without evidence of incontinence or other severe impairment.

Claimed conditions
prostatitis, lumbar spine muscle strain
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
40%
Decision date
December 28, 2006
Citation
0639981

Veterans Law Judge

WAYNE M. BRAEUER

Decisions by this judge: 680 · Granted: 24% (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 0639981.

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.

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