The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his degenerative joint disease of the cervical and lumbosacral spines, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under VA's rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The VA examination reports from November 2004 were used to determine the current severity of the veteran's disabilities, but no recent treatment records or examinations have been obtained. The examiner noted limited range of motion and pain without additional limitation due to flare-ups or repetitive use.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2008
- Citation
- 0803244
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 0803244.
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: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted a 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's low back disorder, effective March 31, 2019.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine and radiculopathy affecting both upper and lower extremities, while dismissing the claim for cervicogenic headaches.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, right upper extremity radiculopathy, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, and right lower extremity radiculopathy, have resulted in a combined rating of 60 percent as of March 15, 2019. The Board has granted an earlier effective date for TDIU to this point.
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