The Veteran's lumbar spine disability manifested with forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to approximately 75 degrees and pain on motion. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his chronic thoracolumbar spine strain.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's disability warranted a higher evaluation, as it primarily manifested with pain on motion without additional limitation or functional loss due to weakness, fatigability, or incoordination.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic thoracolumbar spine strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 12, 2017
- Citation
- 1721248
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1721248.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected chronic thoracolumbar spine strain, as the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, and his chronic thoracolumbar spine strain evaluation is remanded for further review.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's chronic thoracolumbar spine strain and lumbosacral strain have been rated at 10 percent since September 2014. The most recent VA examination found the combined range of motion to be 234 degrees, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5237.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has restored a 20% disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected chronic thoracolumbar spine strain from October 1, 2018. The case is remanded to determine an increased initial disability rating higher than 20% for the same condition.
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