The Veteran's increased ratings for DJD of the lumbar spine and PTSD have been denied as his conditions do not meet the criteria for higher disability evaluations.,Specifically, the Veteran’s DJD of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 10 percent from January 24, 2012 through June 12, 2019, and in excess of 20 percent since June 13, 2019. His PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since January 24, 2012 through June 5, 2013, and in excess of 70 percent since June 6, 2013.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support the Veteran's claims for increased ratings as his conditions do not meet the criteria for higher disability evaluations under the applicable rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19181271
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · 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 19181271.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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