The veteran's arthritis of the dorsal spine is manifested by pain, flexion limited to 65 degrees, full extension, lateral flexion bilaterally limited to 15 degrees, rotation bilaterally limited to 15 degrees, limited endurance, muscle spasm and increased kyphosis; but it is not manifested by flexion limited to 30 degrees or less or ankylosis.
The deciding factor: The veteran's symptoms meet the criteria for a 20 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine, as his forward flexion was limited to 65 degrees with additional limitation due to pain on motion.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the dorsal spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 10, 2008
- Citation
- 0812000
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 952 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0812000.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since September 2005, and the Board is granting a higher rating of 70 percent effective June 15, 2009.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and providing proper VCAA notice.
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