The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his thoracolumbar spine strain are denied as the claimant failed to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not attend scheduled VA examinations, which was considered a failure to cooperate with VA efforts and lack of good cause.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2023
- Citation
- 23053072
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 23053072.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, effective from November 23, 2010 to February 25, 2011. The case is remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine is rated at a maximum of 40 percent, effective from February 2015 when service connection was established.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine and osteoarthritis of the right hip are granted as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee and left hip disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability, service connection for hypertension and Parkinson's disease, and TDIU. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 40 percent.
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