The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative joint disease was granted a rating of 10 percent from November 16, 2008 to November 15, 2009.,From November 16, 2009, to December 27, 2015, the Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative joint disease was granted a rating of 40 percent. From December 28, 2015 onwards, it was granted a rating of 40 percent.,The Veteran's left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome was granted a rating of 10 percent from December 15, 2015 onwards.
The deciding factor: The evidence supported the existence of back pain for the period from November 16, 2008 to November 15, 2009. The Veteran's current rating of 20 percent was upheld as consistent with forward flexion of 46 degrees during repetitive-use testing.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar Spine Degenerative Joint Disease, Left Wrist Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19180920
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 399 · Granted: 41% (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 19180920.
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 a right knee disability and a lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's left wrist fracture with Dequervain's Syndrome and left wrist Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, as well as remanded the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including an examination to determine if the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder and other conditions caused or aggravated his obesity, which in turn may have contributed to his OSA.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's sleep apnea began during active service and is granted.,The Veteran has a current acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety, depression, PTSD, and alcohol use disorder related to his in-service stressor. A VA examination is needed to assess whether the Veteran meets the diagnostic criteria for these conditions.
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