The Veteran's claims for increase were denied, and the claim for an earlier effective date was also denied. The Board found that the residuals of a vertebral fracture at T-12 did not warrant a rating higher than 60 percent, and the residuals of a right shoulder injury did not warrant a rating higher than 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations showed severe limitation of motion for both conditions but no evidence of spinal cord involvement or unfavorable ankylosis. The Veteran's symptoms were considered to be within the scope of the current ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- vertebral fracture at T-12, right shoulder injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 14, 2012
- Citation
- 1231785
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 1231785.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was denied, and the Board found that no effective date prior to May 30, 2019 is warranted.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals seeking service connection for various conditions have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his appeal by his authorized representative.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including failure to obtain VA and private medical records related to his hip conditions, neck injury, and right shoulder injury.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder disability, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the condition had its onset in service. The decision also assigns a 100% rating.
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