The Veteran's lumbar spondylosis is rated at 40 percent effective July 15, 2009. The Board also granted a TDIU from July 15, 2009 to January 26, 2016.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spondylosis resulted in forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 30 degrees or less, meeting the criteria for a 40 percent rating under VA regulations. The combined effect of his service-connected disabilities met the threshold requirements for TDIU.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spondylosis (back disability), radiculopathy of the femoral and sciatic nerves of bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20069246
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (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 20069246.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbar spondylosis and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bronchial asthma, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current disability picture.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spondylosis secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability based on medical evidence linking the back condition to the altered gait caused by the left knee.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of passive range of motion measurements in the previous VA examination. The Veteran needs to be scheduled for a new examination to assess the current severity of his lumbar spondylosis.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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