The Veteran's service-connected lumbar strain with multilevel degenerative disc disease is currently rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board has determined that a higher rating of 40 percent is warranted since January 12, 2012.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine was limited to 30 degrees or less during flare-ups without ankylosis or incapacitating episodes as of January 12, 2012. This meets the criteria for a 40 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- status post lumbar strain with multilevel degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 18, 2014
- Citation
- 1406902
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 1406902.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development due to missing records and incomplete VA treatment records.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal was denied for all issues related to his service-connected disabilities. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings or earlier effective dates.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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