The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected low back and cervical spine disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation under the applicable rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record did not show functional loss or other symptoms that would warrant a higher disability rating for either the low back or cervical spine conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- low back arthritis, residuals of cervical spine injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2008
- Citation
- 0815837
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,599 · Granted: 37% (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 0815837.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for low back arthritis, bilateral knee arthritis, and left hip arthritis due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for low back arthritis, left knee arthritis, and left hip arthritis. The issues of service connection for sciatic nerve pain, high blood pressure, and right arm skin cancer are remanded due to the failure to obtain VA examinations or opinions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The veteran is granted an effective date of August 5, 2021 for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) based on service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for the veteran's left knee arthritis, low back arthritis, and right wrist arthritis. The veteran's claims were based on injuries sustained during active duty.
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