The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is now rated at 20 percent, effective February 25, 2019.
The deciding factor: The VA examination conducted in February 2019 showed that the Veteran’s forward flexion was limited to 50 degrees and all other ranges were limited to 10 degrees due to pain during repetitive use over time. This resulted in a combined range of motion of 120 degrees, meeting the criteria for a 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5242.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19192579
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 19192579.
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 Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent prior to January 13, 2022. Effective March 18, 2020, the Veteran is granted TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received for the Veteran's claims of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine and obstructive sleep apnea. As a result, these claims are being remanded to allow for further review.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted entitlement to Chapter 33 educational assistance benefits at the 100 percent rate due to his service-connected back disability and discharge from active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbar spine disability. The Court granted a JMPR, which required the Board to address pain on passive range of motion and nonweight-bearing testing. The case is now remanded due to inadequate examination documentation.
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