The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a TDIU were denied. The Veteran was granted a TDIU from December 6, 2012.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s lumbar spine disability is rated as 60 percent disabling under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine due to lack of ankylosis. A separate rating for his scar was denied as there were no functional impairments or limitations associated with it.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar disc disease, lumbar spine scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19189196
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 19189196.
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 granted service connection for left knee strain, lumbar disc disease, and cervical spine disability based on evidence supporting an in-service onset of symptoms that have continued to the present.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for several service-connected conditions, granted a 20 percent rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy, and remanded other issues.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 40 percent for the Veteran's low back disability, granted a 20 percent rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy beginning May 11, 2011, and denied a compensable rating for a lumbar spine scar associated with the service-connected low back disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for various conditions, including right and left ankle sprain, right and left knee strain with limitation of flexion and extension, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, and a lumbar spine scar, with effective dates from February 21, 2019. The Board also granted increased ratings for right and left ankle sprain starting July 13, 2022.
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