The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected low back, right ankle, and right femur disabilities due to his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to provide a valid reason for not attending the required VA examinations, which are necessary to evaluate the severity of his conditions. Therefore, the claims were denied under 38 C.F.R. § 3.655(b).
- Claimed conditions
- Mechanical low back pain with herniated disc at L3-4, Residuals of right ankle fracture, Stress fracture of the right femur
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2024
- Citation
- 24003204
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 claims for increased ratings for residuals of right ankle fracture, asthma with chronic bronchitis, and hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for unspecified depressive disorder and reopened the claim for residuals of right ankle fracture, while denying service connection for other conditions including neuropathy, ED, pelvis condition, sleep issues, and right ear hearing loss. The effective date for tinnitus was not earlier than June 20, 2016.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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