The Veteran's claim for service connection for a disability of the thoracic spine was denied. The Board found no current, objectively identifiable disability of the thoracic spine and concluded that his complaints of pain in this area were related to his service-connected lumbar strain. For his service-connected chronic lumbar strain with degenerative changes and thoracic pain, the Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating was also denied as there is no evidence showing that his current disability picture is so exceptional or unusual as to render impractical the application of the regular schedular standards.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran does not have a currently identifiable disability of the thoracic spine and concluded that any complaints of pain in this area are related to his service-connected lumbar strain. The Board also noted that there is no evidence showing that his current disability picture for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative changes and thoracic pain is so exceptional or unusual as to render impractical the application of the regular schedular standards.
- Claimed conditions
- Disability of the thoracic spine, Chronic lumbar strain with degenerative changes and thoracic pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 15, 2009
- Citation
- 0922474
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 0922474.
What this means for you
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- Granted
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