The veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine disorder has been rated at 40 percent for the period from May 2, 2001, and higher evaluations have not been warranted.
The deciding factor: The severity of the veteran's thoracolumbar spine condition was deemed to be severe enough to warrant a 40 percent rating, but no additional evidence supported a higher evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Left knee strain, Bilateral hearing loss, Residuals of ear infections of the right ear, Tinnitus, Degenerative disease of the thoracolumbar spine, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, Residuals of an injury to the right great toe with hallux valgus and early degenerative changes, Acne
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- May 8, 2008
- Citation
- 0815246
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 0815246.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
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