The Board has determined that the veteran's dorsolumbar strain warrants a 10 percent disability rating, effective from the date of his claim.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the veteran's dorsolumbar strain is manifested by limitation of motion with pain and muscle spasms, but does not meet the criteria for higher ratings based on additional functional impairment or other diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- dorsolumbar strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 27, 2003
- Citation
- 0303452
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 464 · Granted: 21% (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 0303452.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations for his service-connected right shoulder bicipital tendonitis and bursitis, cervical strain, and dorsolumbar strain were denied by the Board. The case is being remanded to consider whether staged ratings are warranted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination and retrieval of VA outpatient records. The issues include claims for higher ratings for service-connected right shoulder tendonitis/bursitis, cervical strain, and dorsolumbar strain, as well as an issue regarding special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case to the AOJ for scheduling a videoconference hearing due to the Veteran's request. The appeal is not resolved on its merits.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected dorsolumbar strain is currently rated at 20 percent, but the VA examiner found that his current range of motion and flare-ups warrant a higher rating up to 40 percent.
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