The Veteran's degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine were granted a 20% rating from March 27, 2006 to October 6, 2013. The Board found that the condition worsened during his deployment in Iraq and more nearly approximated moderate limitation of motion.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's range of motion was limited to 60 degrees after repetitive use testing, which meets the criteria for a 20% rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184435
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a new VA examination to determine the current level of severity of the Veteran's disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine or left knee DJD prior to October 27, 2015 and from February 1, 2017.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating and TDIU due to service-connected degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria, and there were no findings supporting a TDIU based on the disability alone.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection of the fracture of the neck, degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine, and compensable disability rating for residual scar from an appendectomy has been dismissed. The appeal for a separate award of service connection for residuals of an appendectomy is remanded.
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