The Veteran's back disability is rated at a 20 percent rating effective July 25, 2014. The condition was previously rated as 10 percent prior to that date.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and medical records showed the Veteran's flexion of the thoracolumbar spine limited to 50 degrees with pain, which is consistent with a 20 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- bulging disc of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 28, 2015
- Citation
- 1532133
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 1532133.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's lower back disability was granted an initial rating of 20 percent effective January 6, 2014. The claim for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was also granted with a separate effective date.
- Granted
The Board finds that the Veteran's low back disability, manifested by bulging discs at L3-L4 and L4-L5 of the lumbar spine, is due to a parachute accident during service. Therefore, service connection for this condition is granted.
- 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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