The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's low back strain, finding that prior to June 1, 2004, his condition was manifested by chronic pain and moderate limitation of motion without abnormal gait or objective evidence of muscle spasm. From June 1, 2004 forward, his condition has been characterized by chronic pain, limitation of motion, and muscle spasms with flexion beyond 30 degrees.
The deciding factor: The veteran's low back strain was found to have improved from the previous levels prior to June 1, 2004, but remained symptomatic after that date.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 30, 2006
- Citation
- 0609291
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,055 · Granted: 31% (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 0609291.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hearing loss and low back strain claims are remanded for further evaluation. The hearing loss claim is denied, while the low back strain claim requires additional examination to determine its severity.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for low back strain, left shoulder, and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) based on evidence showing a causal relationship to in-service events or injuries.
- Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed because the March 2020 rating decision, which granted service connection for a low back strain, was never issued and therefore not an appealable decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial rating for his service-connected low back strain was denied, as the current severity of his condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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