The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral spine was granted, and he is currently rated at 20 percent from May 30, 2006. The appeal does not involve any service connection issues.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran's forward flexion was limited to between 35 and 40 degrees with pain, which met the criteria for a 20 percent rating under the general rating formula for diseases and injuries of the spine.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 17, 2009
- Citation
- 0943650
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 0943650.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral spine, right total knee replacement, left total hip replacement, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, PTSD, and TDIU are all granted.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been found to be sufficiently severe to produce unemployability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 11, 2008 for TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to insufficient evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable solely at that time.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of the service-connected osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral spine. The Veteran will need to undergo an orthopedic examination and provide updated medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and providing a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his low back disability, as well as any aggravation by his service-connected Parkinson's disease.
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