The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for her back disorder was denied. Separate ratings were granted for radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, effective February 6, 2015. A separate rating for urinary incontinence was denied. The Veteran was granted a TDIU from July 13, 2016. The issue of entitlement to an earlier effective date for the TDIU is on appeal.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's DDD with IVDS did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it did not result in ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)"}, {"condition_name":"Radiculopathy of left lower extremity"}, {"condition_name":"Radiculopathy of right lower extremity"}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19185004
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 19185004.
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
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- Granted
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