The veteran's low back disorder, characterized as low back pain, is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board has determined that the disability warrants a higher evaluation of 40 percent.
The deciding factor: The VA rating examination and clinical treatment records provided evidence of severe limitation of motion in the lumbar spine, degenerative changes, and other symptomatology consistent with muscle spasm on extreme forward bending, loss of lateral spine motion, unilateral, in the standing position. The veteran's employment as a full-time employee at USPS further supports this finding.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- June 23, 2003
- Citation
- 0313533
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 0313533.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for low back pain and right hip pain as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability, a 30 percent rating for migraine headaches from January 22, 2023, but denied increased ratings for dermatitis and allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for low back pain and migraines, effective October 1, 2019. The claim for sciatic nerve pain was remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for DMII and PN due to diabetes, but denied service connection for low back pain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for low back pain, left shoulder osteoarthritis, right shoulder rotator cuff, right bicep tendonitis, left bicep tendonitis, obstructive sleep apnea, and Meniere's Syndrome (vertigo) to address duty-to-assist errors.
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