The Veteran's lumbar and cervical spine disabilities were evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The Board found that his symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating, as he could still flex his lumbar spine to 90 degrees without additional limitation due to pain or repetitive movement.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's range of motion was within normal limits and there was no evidence of muscle spasm or guarding resulting in abnormal gait or spinal contour. The March 2007 VA examiner did not find any change in range of motion findings due to pain or repetition, despite the Veteran reporting pain.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain, degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 19, 2014
- Citation
- 1411397
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 1411397.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's appeals for service connection for right hand arthritis and left hand arthritis have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating for lumbar strain, radiculopathy of the left sciatic nerve, and radiculopathy of the right sciatic nerve have been remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar strain and lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome with left sciatica. The right lower extremity sciatica claim is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability, diagnosed as lumbar strain, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, is causally related to service. As such, service connection for this condition is granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, anxiety with situational type phobia, left hip strain, left knee strain, right knee strain, and lumbar strain are granted effective March 3, 2022.,An earlier effective date of March 3, 2022, is assigned for the Veteran's service connection claims.
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