The Board finds that the veteran's lumbosacral spine disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and is not proximately due to his service-connected thoracic back strain. The criteria for a higher rating for his thoracic back strain have been met, but he does not meet the requirements for a TDIU rating.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the veteran's lumbosacral spine disability was not caused or worsened by his service-connected thoracic back strain and found no significant clinical pathology to support an increased rating. The veteran did not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating due to his obesity and non-organic findings.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral spine disability, thoracic spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 23, 2000
- Citation
- 0004658
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0004658.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbosacral spine disability and for TDIU based on that condition due to inadequate examination. The case is being returned for further development.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between the condition and active duty service or any other factor.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is proximately due to or has undergone any incremental increase in disability due to his service-connected mental health, back, and shoulder disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the previous VA examination, which did not discount the ameliorative effects of her pain medication. The case is also remanded for consideration of TDIU as part of the evaluation of her back disability.
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