The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities were denied because he failed to appear for VA examinations without providing good cause.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not report for scheduled VA examinations, which were necessary to establish entitlement or continued entitlement to the claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine with degenerative disc disease, Degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine with spondylolisthesis and spondylolysis at L5
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2023
- Citation
- 23052994
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 23052994.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been dismissed as the initial ratings were already assigned prior to May 24, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities are being remanded due to inconsistencies in the evidence regarding the nature and severity of his conditions, as well as potential effects of medications on his functioning.
- 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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