The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ankylosing spondylitis after December 17, 2013 is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ankylosing spondylitis prior to December 17, 2013 is remanded. The Board acknowledges the Veteran’s lay reports of symptoms and noted functional loss but finds that they do not result in unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is also remanded as there are no schedular criteria met.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a higher rating than 50 percent for ankylosing spondylitis after December 17, 2013 due to lack of unfavorable ankylosis.,There is no unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine prior to December 17, 2013 as determined by a retrospective medical evaluation. The Veteran's lay reports and functional loss do not meet the criteria for unfavorable ankylosis.,The Veteran does not meet the schedular criteria for TDIU due to only one service-connected disability rated at 50 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- ankylosing spondylitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19175961
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (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 19175961.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
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