The Board dismissed the issue of reducing the rating for spinal stenosis with degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine from 40 percent to 20 percent because it was only a proposal and not a decision on the merits.
The deciding factor: The December 2019 rating decision proposing reduction in rating was only a notification, not a final decision on the merits.
- Claimed conditions
- spinal stenosis, degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 15, 2020
- Citation
- A20018623
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 A20018623.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral strain, and spinal stenosis based on the Veteran's in-service back injury and chronicity of symptoms.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for allergic rhinitis and remanded the other claims for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for spinal stenosis and denied service connection for an enlarged prostate, including due to herbicide exposure.
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