The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and total disability based on individual unemployability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating or TDIU.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record did not persuasively weigh in favor of a higher rating due to insufficient functional loss or neurological impairment associated with the lumbar spine strain and spondylosis, nor was there sufficient evidence for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for the right ankle strain.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar spine strain and spondylosis, Right ankle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2025
- Citation
- 25013721
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,135 · Granted: 33% (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 25013721.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, right ankle strain, and mild right foot retrocalcaneal spur as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the current disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right ankle strain and remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ankle strain. The claim will be returned for further development.
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