The Veteran's lumbar strain with myositis is rated at 40 percent, the highest possible rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations showed severe pain and impairment of movement, along with functional loss due to repetitive use and passive motion limitations, which approximated the criteria for a 30 degree or less forward flexion in the thoracolumbar spine.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain with myositis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19100011
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19100011.
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 Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's claimed left shoulder strain and impingement syndrome, cervical strain with myositis, lumbar strain with myositis, bilateral iliopsoas tendinitis of the hips, bilateral patellofemoral pain syndrome of the knees, right ankle tendinitis, chronic left ankle sprain, and bilateral lateral epicondylitis of the elbows.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 40 percent rating for his service-connected lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no unadjudicated claim for an increased rating prior to March 28, 2008 and that it is not factually ascertainable from the evidence that the Veteran's disability increased in severity during the one-year period prior to March 28, 2008.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inextricably intertwined issues, including higher ratings for service-connected disabilities and an earlier effective date. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered after these other issues are resolved.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inconsistencies in medical opinions and need for clarification regarding the Veteran's ability to perform 'medium work' despite his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim is also being referred for extraschedular consideration.
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