The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine and found that his right knee disability claim was not properly reopened due to lack of new evidence within one year. The Veteran's current 10 percent rating for back pain is upheld, but no higher as it does not meet criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s degenerative disc disease did not warrant a higher than 10 percent rating based on the range of motion and functional loss described in his medical records. The right knee disability claim was denied because new evidence submitted to reopen the case did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to grant service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, Right knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2013
- Citation
- 1334796
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 1334796.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent prior to January 13, 2022. Effective March 18, 2020, the Veteran is granted TDIU.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim for bilateral knee disabilities and his right and left knee scars have been granted. He is now rated at a combined 60% disability rating from June 1, 2018 based on bilateral factors for his bilateral knee disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that his current diagnosis of right knee strain is related to his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to their death.
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