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Denied

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is not productive of forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine of 30 degrees or less, and he does not have a current disability of the left elbow, left hand, or hips. Therefore, his initial rating for this condition remains at 20 percent.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is rated based on limitation of motion, which does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation as he has forward flexion greater than 30 degrees and no ankylosis. The other conditions have not been established with current diagnoses or service connection.

Claimed conditions
osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine with compression fractures of the lower thoracic spine
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
January 22, 2015
Citation
1503023

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 1503023.

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