The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for thoracolumbar spine disorder and cervical spine DJD were denied. The rating for thoracolumbar spine disorder remains at 10 percent, while the rating for cervical spine DJD is also at 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find any additional functional impairment due to pain or other factors that would warrant a higher rating under the applicable criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine disorder, Cervical spine DJD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19131210
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 19131210.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and a cervical spine disorder as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current conditions and the Veteran's active duty service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for cervical spine disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder, right shoulder disorder, scars of the face, psychiatric disorder, and traumatic brain injury.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a thoracolumbar spine disorder due to a lack of evidence demonstrating current disabilities under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385, and no nexus between the claimed conditions and military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors, including missing Reserve records and outstanding SSA records.
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