The Veteran's low back condition is now rated at 40 percent effective September 4, 2013.
The deciding factor: A May 2014 VA examination established the current level of disability and warranted a 40 percent rating for the low back condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Headache, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (Depression), Hip Condition, Foot Condition, Neck Condition, Shoulder Condition, Hearing Loss, Bladder Condition, Pituitary Condition, Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- March 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19121837
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (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 19121837.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found new and relevant evidence to readjudicate the claim for service connection for a headache disability. The case is being remanded for further review.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right knee meniscal tear, and IBS, have rendered him unable to secure or follow any substantially gainful employment from May 1, 2020 to May 1, 2021. The Board finds that the evidence is in balance, with all reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for his IBS, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a moderate or severe condition as defined by VA regulations.
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