The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease was denied. The Board found that the current 20 percent rating adequately reflects the severity of his disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examination reports did not support an increase in the rating, as they indicated no additional limitation due to pain upon repetition and a normal range of motion for flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 30, 2010
- Citation
- 1024485
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 1024485.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for TDIU and DEA, as well as the claim for a higher rating for his low back disability, were denied. However, the Board granted an effective date of December 30, 2009, but no earlier, for both TDIU and DEA.
- Denied
The Board denied entitlement to a rating in excess of 40 percent for the Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease, as the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current severity and functional impairment.
- Dismissed
The appeal for entitlement to left hip injury, right hip injury, and right hand injury was dismissed as these issues were not properly appealed. The remaining claims are remanded for further development.
- Denied
The claim for a higher rating than 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease was denied because the veteran did not attend a scheduled VA examination.
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