The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was denied. A 20 percent disability rating has been granted effective July 7, 2014.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show limitation of flexion to less than 30 degrees during the appeal period and the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability met the requirement for a 20 percent disability rating since July 7, 2014.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Arthritis of the Lumbar Spine, Scoliosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 16, 2018
- Citation
- 18142130
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 18142130.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a higher initial rating of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral strain, and scoliosis, but remanded the other issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal for eligibility under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA's) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers to correct an AOJ error in satisfying a regulatory and statutory duty, which has a reasonable possibility of aiding in substantiating the appellant's claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a back disability to correct pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining missing service treatment and personnel records from 1982.
- Denied
The Board denied all claims for increased ratings, except for sinusitis which was granted a higher rating.
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