The Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine was rated at 10% prior to October 1, 2010. Effective October 1, 2010, his disability rating was increased to 20%. The current evaluation is appropriate given the range of motion findings.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's most recent VA examination in October 2010 showed forward flexion from 0 to 42 degrees with pain to 64 degrees, extension of 0 to 8 degrees with pain to 13 degrees, lateral flexion of 0 to 20 degrees with pain to 32 degrees to the left and 0 to 20 degrees with pain to 27 degrees to the right, and lateral rotation of 0 to 30 degrees with pain to 40 degrees to the left and 0 to 40 degrees to the right.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, L4-L5 and L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- August 31, 2012
- Citation
- 1230143
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 1230143.
What this means for you
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