The veteran's low back disability has been rated at 20 percent based on muscle spasms or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports the presence of muscle spasms and spinal tenderness, as well as an antalgic gait, which meet the criteria for a 20 percent rating under DC 5243.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease with spondylotic changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0900980
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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