The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for his lumbar spine disability and associated conditions is denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of entitlement to TDIU prior to June 7, 2016 or from August 1, 2020.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating schedule and there is no indication of entitlement to TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- L5 spondylosis, left inferior articular facet of L4 fracture, degenerative joint disease (DJD), intervertebral disc disease (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20071957
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,044 · Granted: 21% (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 20071957.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder disability, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for initial ratings of her left shoulder strain and cervical spine disability due to new evidence or further clarification from the AOJ.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted an initial disability rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, DJD, from December 17, 1997 to June 3, 2022, and the effective date for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy was also set at December 17, 1997. However, a higher rating or TDIU was denied.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 40 percent rating for her lumbar spine disability from August 29, 2018, to August 5, 2020, and TDIU effective May 18, 2019.
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