The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his back disability was denied as there is no evidence showing that the current limitation of motion warrants a rating higher than 20 percent.,Service connection for the skull fracture (claimed as TBI) was also denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a pre-existing head injury in service and that his fall in April 2012 caused his brain injury, which is not related to his back disability.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence does not support an evaluation higher than 20 percent for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability. The Veteran did not show forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine of less than 30 degrees, and there was no favorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine.
- Claimed conditions
- Back Disability, Skull Fracture
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2015
- Citation
- 1551836
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 1551836.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA rating decision denying service connection for a right knee disability and a back disability is not supported by adequate medical opinions, and thus remands the case for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection of a left knee disability, back disability, and left elbow disability must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran provided lay reports of symptoms but the VA examiners did not consider these reports in their conclusions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right eye, left eye, left knee, and back disabilities due to conflicting statements from the Veteran and inconsistencies in his medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that the current condition is not related to service.
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