The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's mechanical low back pain, finding that the schedular criteria did not meet the requirements for a higher evaluation. The case was also referred to consider extraschedular consideration.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no additional limitation in range of motion after repetitive use testing and noted that the Veteran's thoracolumbar forward flexion had been greater than 30 degrees, with no evidence of ankylosis or intervertebral disc syndrome. The Board concluded that any symptoms associated with the Veteran's lumbar spine disability were encompassed in the current evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Mechanical low back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2014
- Citation
- 1451152
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 1451152.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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
The Board denied an increased disability rating in excess of 20 percent for the service-connected back disability and an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for the right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- 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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