The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for mechanical lumbar strain and psychiatric disability (including OCD and GAD) have been denied as the Veteran failed to appear for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.
The deciding factor: The Veteran canceled her scheduled VA examination, which was required due to her service-connected conditions. As a result, her claims were not evaluated based on current evidence of record.
- Claimed conditions
- Mechanical Lumbar Strain, Psychiatric Disability (including OCD and GAD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21015962
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 21015962.
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 PTSD has been granted an increased rating to 70%, and she is also granted a TDIU based on her service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an extraschedular evaluation for a mechanical lumbar strain was denied as the disability picture is not so exceptional as to not be contemplated by the rating schedule.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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