The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disability does not warrant a higher evaluation, as his range of motion is not severe enough to meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5293. The current 20 percent rating adequately reflects the functional impairment due to pain and other symptoms.
The deciding factor: The veteran's range of motion was found to be within normal limits, with no significant limitation that would warrant a higher evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- postoperative residuals of a lumbar laminectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 19, 2000
- Citation
- 0033054
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 0033054.
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 reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for postoperative residuals of a lumbar laminectomy and remanded it for further development, including obtaining medical records and an examination to determine if his current back disorder is related to military service.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for postoperative residuals of a lumbar laminectomy, claimed as due to injury during INACDUTRA on June 12, 1980. The evidence submitted by the veteran is found to be both new and material, allowing the claim to proceed to its merits. The Board also finds that the claim is well grounded based on credible lay and medical evidence showing continuity of symptoms since the injury in 1980 and a nexus between the current disability and the service-connected injury.
- 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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