The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent effective March 9, 2014. The right thumb disability remains at 10 percent.,Issues regarding left achilles tendon rupture and left foot heel contusion are being remanded for further review.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's low back disability has been shown to have a forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine limited to 30 degrees or less, meeting the criteria for a 40 percent rating beginning March 9, 2014. The right thumb disability continues to show limitation of motion with a gap between the pad of the thumb and the fingers of 1 cm.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back strain with early minimal degenerative changes, Chip fracture interphalangeal joint and fracture metacarpal of right thumb
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160890
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,104 · Granted: 28% (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 19160890.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
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- Granted
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