The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine prior to December 1, 2014 was denied. The evidence did not show that his forward flexion was limited to 60 degrees or less or his combined range of motion was limited to 120 degrees or less.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence showed that the Veteran's forward flexion was to 65 degrees and his combined range of motion was 205 degrees, which did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under DC 5242.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Thoracolumbar rotoscoliosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 28, 2018
- Citation
- 18153767
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 18153767.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was diagnosed during service and has continued since then. The Board granted service connection for this condition based on continuity of symptomatology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examinations and the need for a retrospective opinion regarding the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, is related to service and granted service connection for this condition.
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