The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for osteoarthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine, as well as left upper extremity radiculopathy (LUE), have been denied.,A total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities has been granted from December 7, 2017.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran's cervical or lumbar spine conditions meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The Veteran’s range of motion did not reach the level necessary to warrant an increased rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Left upper extremity radiculopathy (LUE), Osteoarthritis of the cervical spine, Osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19113932
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,329 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19113932.
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 Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and right ankle disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle condition was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal during his Board Hearing. The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, spinal stenosis, and lumbar-sacral spondylosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further examinations and consideration of service connection claims due to lack of recent evaluations.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for her lumbar spine disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not warrant a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
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