The Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 20 percent for residuals of a lumbosacral spine injury is denied.,The Veteran's request for an effective date prior to December 13, 2010, for a 20 percent rating for residuals of a lumbosacral spine injury is also denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing that the Veteran’s back disability worsened between the effective date of his current 20 percent rating and March 2010, which is one year prior to his March 2011 claim for increase.,The January 2008 rating decision did not contain CUE.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral spine injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20030354
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 20030354.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an unresolved claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a previous rating decision, which is necessary before considering the earlier effective date for the lumbosacral spine disability.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the January 2014 VA examination was inadequate, and remanded to obtain additional records and an updated examination.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's lumbosacral spine injury residuals do not result in ankylosis of the spine, and radiculopathy is not etiologically related to his service-connected disability. As a result, he does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 40 percent.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine injury, and instructed the RO to obtain any additional evidence from the veteran. The case is remanded for further development.
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