The Veteran's service-connected DDD of the lumbar spine is granted at a 40 percent rating prior to May 8, 2015. Other conditions are remanded for further review.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s thoracolumbar spine exhibited limitation of motion warranting a 40 percent rating throughout the period on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the cervical spine, Left knee strain, Left elbow lateral epicondylitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20072021
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, while remanding claims for depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, right knee strain, left knee strain, and lumbar spine strain.
- Granted
The Board granted increased 20 percent disability ratings for the back, right knee, and left knee disabilities but denied a higher rating for bilateral pes planus and a compensable rating for the right anterior knee scar.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee strain, left knee strain, and left ankle strain but denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the service-connected injury to flexors (Group VII) of fingers/thumb, an initial compensable rating for recurrent bronchitis, and service connection for bilateral hearing loss.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability and related knee and shoulder strains as there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active duty service.
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