The Veteran's thoracolumbar spinal disability is rated at 40 percent since April 2, 2008. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for this condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examination reports do not show any ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of back pain as required for a higher rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar Spinal Disability, Atonic Hypotonic Contractile Bladder, Psychiatric Disorder, Progressive Peripheral Idiopathic Polyneuropathy of the Right and Left Lower Extremity, Progressive Peripheral Idiopathic Polyneuropathy of the Right and Left Upper Extremity, Tinnitus, Status Post Subacromial Bursectomy and Resection of the Right Distal Clavicle (Right Shoulder Disorder), Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- December 22, 2011
- Citation
- 1146789
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 1146789.
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.
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The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
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The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
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