The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for lumbar strain prior to October 8, 2015 and from October 8, 2015 for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The initial staged ratings for bilateral plantar fasciitis and GERD were also denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 60 degrees or less, combined range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine of 120 degrees or less, muscle spasm or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour, such as scoliosis, reversed lordosis, or abnormal kyphosis.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, bilateral plantar fasciitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), eczema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19124069
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 19124069.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
- Dismissed
The appeals regarding the evaluation of bilateral plantar fasciitis and residuals of fractures of the second, fourth, and fifth left toes, as well as the evaluation of bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy with loss of use, are dismissed as untimely.
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