The Veteran's thoracolumbar strain was restored to a 20% rating effective March 5, 2019. The ratings for right and left foot calcaneal spurs with metatarsal proximal osteoarthritis remain at 10%. Further development is needed for the right and left foot conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's thoracolumbar strain was restored to a higher rating due to improvement in his condition, while the ratings for his feet remained unchanged as there was no evidence of sustained material improvement under ordinary conditions of life.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar strain, Right foot calcaneal spurs with metatarsal proximal osteoarthritis, Left foot calcaneal spurs with metatarsal proximal osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2020
- Citation
- A20015234
Veterans Law Judge
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 A20015234.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including cervical strain, elbow and knee conditions, radiculopathy of upper and lower extremities, thoracolumbar strain, and GERD. The effective date is set at September 13, 2023.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the Board Appeal request was not timely filed with respect to the rating decision issued on October 21, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous instructions. The Veteran's thoracolumbar strain and degenerative arthritis, cervical strain, and LLE radiculopathy cases are still pending for higher evaluations.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 50 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar strain, effective from January 24, 2014. The decision is based on evidence of functional equivalent to unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine.
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