The Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, as well as his headaches associated with the cervical spine disability, degenerative arthritis of both knees, are not rated higher than their current levels.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find any ankylosis or incapacitating episodes meeting the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes. The Veteran's symptoms were found to be within the range that would warrant the current ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint and Disc Disease of the Cervical Spine, Degenerative Joint and Disc Disease of the Lumbar Spine, Occipital and Frontal Headaches associated with Degenerative Joint Disease of the Cervical Spine, Degenerative Arthritis of the Right Knee, Degenerative Arthritis of the Left Knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2011
- Citation
- 1125673
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 1125673.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and initial disability ratings for obstructive sleep apnea, degenerative arthritis of the left knee, and degenerative arthritis of the right knee to correct duty to assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral knee degenerative arthritis, as well as left ankle strain.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection and an initial compensable evaluation, finding that the evidence did not support a diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss disability or sleep apnea related to service. The Veteran's hemorrhoids were found to be noncompensable.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found the records incomplete and remanded for several reasons, including obtaining updated private treatment records from the Veteran's ENT provider and VA treatment records. Additionally, a new examination is required to assess the severity of the Veteran's left knee disability due to inadequate previous examination.
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