The Veteran's spouse was not eligible for additional compensation prior to November 1, 2013, as the necessary documentation was not submitted within one year of his combined disability rating being established in October 2002.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not provide proof of dependency (VA Form 21-686c and marriage certificate) until October 4, 2013, which was more than a decade after the March 25, 2003 notification letter requesting this information.
- Claimed conditions
- mild degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18156673
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 18156673.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and DJD of the thumbs due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his heart disability and its relationship to service-connected conditions.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's hypertension and congestive heart failure were denied as service connection was not established.,Service connection for degenerative disease of the left knee and mild degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine (secondary to left knee) have been granted.
- Denied
Throughout the rating period, your mild degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with pain has been manifested by daily pain that is partially alleviated by medication and objective pain at the ends of range of motion testing. The Veteran's disability does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation.
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