The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for low back and left hip disabilities have been denied due to his failure without good cause to appear for scheduled VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to report for the required VA examinations, which is a legal bar under 38 C.F.R. § 3.655(b).
- Claimed conditions
- chronic muscular strain of the low back, chronic muscular strain of the left hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20033971
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 20033971.
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 veteran's multiple service-connected disabilities, including chronic back pain, left-sided weakness from a stroke, and PTSD, render him unable to engage in substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that he is unemployable due to his conditions and grants a permanent and total rating for pension purposes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling him for VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The VA denied the veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for his chronic muscular strain of the low back, superimposed on degenerative instability.
- Granted
The veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent, and his lipoma of the left lateral lumbar area does not meet criteria for a compensable rating.
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