The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. For the lumbar strain, a rating in excess of 20 percent from June 2, 2010 to June 29, 2015, and in excess of 40 percent after June 30, 2015, is not warranted.,For the lumbar spine stenosis with degenerative changes, service connection was denied as there was no indication that the condition manifested during active service or within one year of separation. The Veteran's current condition did not have a causal relationship to his active service.,For left leg radiculopathy, secondary to service-connected lumbar strain, service connection was also denied due to lack of evidence showing its onset during service and no indication that it is related to the service-connected lumbar strain.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's range of motion for his thoracolumbar spine did not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating from June 2, 2010 to June 29, 2015. From June 30, 2015, there was no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis.,There is no indication that the Veteran's lumbar spine stenosis with degenerative changes manifested during active service or within one year of separation. The condition did not have a causal relationship to his active service.,The Veteran's left leg radiculopathy did not have its onset during service and there was no evidence showing it is related to the service-connected lumbar strain.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain, lumbar spine stenosis with degenerative changes, left leg radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19108329
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (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 19108329.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for right hand arthritis and left hand arthritis have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating for lumbar strain, radiculopathy of the left sciatic nerve, and radiculopathy of the right sciatic nerve have been remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar strain and lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome with left sciatica. The right lower extremity sciatica claim is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability, diagnosed as lumbar strain, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, is causally related to service. As such, service connection for this condition is granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, anxiety with situational type phobia, left hip strain, left knee strain, right knee strain, and lumbar strain are granted effective March 3, 2022.,An earlier effective date of March 3, 2022, is assigned for the Veteran's service connection claims.
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