The Veteran's service-connected back disability is rated at 40 percent, but the Board finds that there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis and thus cannot grant a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no unfavorable ankylosis in the thoracolumbar spine, which is required for a 50% rating under Diagnostic Code 5242.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19190980
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (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 19190980.
What this means for you
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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 issue of entitlement to a disability rating for degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis higher than 10 percent from April 3, 2015, through December 4, 2018, and higher than 20 percent from December 5, 2018, through March 8, 2021.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis, finding that it is at least as likely as not proximately due to her service-connected varicose veins in her lower extremities.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis from April 3, 2015, through December 4, 2018 was denied as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 10 percent.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis from December 5, 2018, through March 8, 2021 was also denied as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 20 percent.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis and a cervical spine disability, finding that the Veteran's back disability is congenital and not aggravated by service. Service connection was also denied for a thyroid disorder due to lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease.
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