The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine was denied. The RO assigned a 20 percent evaluation effective October 6, 2006.
The deciding factor: The VA examination revealed that the Veteran’s range of motion and muscle spasm did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under DC 5242.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 11, 2009
- Citation
- 0921958
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 0921958.
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.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for allergic rhinitis and remanded the other claims for further development.
- Dismissed
The motion to revise or reverse on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) was dismissed without prejudice to refiling.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for cervical strain, radiculopathy of the right upper extremity as secondary to cervical strain, an initial 30 percent rating for sinusitis effective from November 26, 2019, and a 40 percent rating for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine effective from November 26, 2018.
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