The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine were granted separate disability ratings, while his generalized osteoarthritis of the hands and elbow did not meet criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the severity of the Veteran's osteoarthritis in different regions of the spine, which warranted increased ratings but not for the hands and elbow.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized osteoarthritis of the hands and elbow, Osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, Osteoarthritis of the cervical spine, Neurological manifestations (right upper extremity)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0910393
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to October 5, 2016.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine disability, finding that there was no evidence of a neck injury or symptoms during service and insufficient continuity of symptomatology to establish service connection. The Board also found that the cervical spine disability is less likely than not caused by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria.
- Denied
The Veteran's current osteoarthritis of the cervical spine, osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, a seizure disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and sinus problems were not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty military service.
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