The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability has been rated at 20 percent since March 19, 2015. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any period on appeal.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and other medical records do not document incapacitating episodes or associated objective neurologic abnormalities, which are required for an increased disability rating under the Formula for Rating Intervertebral Disc Syndrome Based on Incapacitating Episodes (Formula for Rating IVDS).
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar dextroscoliosis, intervertebral disk desiccation, left paracentral intervertebral disk herniation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1718471
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 1718471.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that there is no medical evidence to support the contention that his lumbar spine disabilities are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected left ankle disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's low back disorder and whether it is related to service. The appeal will be reconsidered after this additional development.
- 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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