The Veteran's lumbar arthritis is rated at 10 percent, but the Board has granted a rating of 20 percent effective from the date of the decision.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s symptoms more nearly approximated forward flexion between 30 and 60 degrees during flare-ups, which meets the criteria for a 20 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19182601
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19182601.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The veteran is granted TDIU from January 11, 2019, to January 10, 2021, but the appeal for TDIU from January 11, 2021, is dismissed as moot.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that it is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for secondary service connection for lumbar arthritis and degenerative disc disease, finding that his claimed back conditions are due to or aggravated by his service-connected knee conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating. The Veteran's other service-connected conditions are also denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.