The Veteran's mechanical low back pain was not manifested by forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 60 degrees or a combined range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 120 degrees, or muscle spasm or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour from April 29, 2004 to December 28, 2008.,The Veteran's mechanical low back pain is manifested by pain and limited motion but not by ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine or bed rest prescribed by a physician on or after December 29, 2008.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 60 degrees or a combined range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 120 degrees, or muscle spasm or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour from April 29, 2004 to December 28, 2008.
- Claimed conditions
- Mechanical low back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 24, 2011
- Citation
- 1107559
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 1107559.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the appeal for service connection of mechanical low back pain, finding no current disability and concluding that the March 1999 rating decision was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous.
- Denied
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of individual unemployability (TDIU) is remanded due to new evidence received within one year of the February 2010 rating decision, which indicates that the Veteran was unable to work due to PTSD.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for mechanical low back pain and lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease L3-4 was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other factors. Service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy were also denied as there is no evidence of secondary service connection.
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