The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, effective from August 2018, which is the date of filing of her claim. The current rating reflects forward flexion to 30 degrees or less.
The deciding factor: The VA examination report indicated that the Veteran’s range of motion was limited to 45 degrees forward flexion and 5 degrees extension, resulting in a loss of function to 30 degrees or less during a flare-up. This meets the criteria for a 40 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries to the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, lumbosacral strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- December 7, 2020
- Citation
- A20018027
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 Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that the Veteran's low back injury occurred during a period of active duty for training (ADT) and continued therefrom.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for right leg sciatica with radiculopathy pain and paresthesia, but denied increased ratings for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, left wrist limitation of motion with ganglion cyst, and service connection for headaches, unspecified. Several issues were remanded.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a disability rating greater than 10 percent for tinnitus and a rating greater than 20 percent for lumbosacral strain, but granted a 20 percent rating for left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.
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