The Veteran's lumbar spine condition is rated at a maximum of 40 percent since September 26, 2019.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s forward flexion was limited to 30 degrees, which meets the criteria for a 40 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5242.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20074251
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 20074251.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an extraschedular total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to April 30, 2020, as it needs additional medical evidence to differentiate between symptoms attributable to service-connected and non-service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including back pain, hearing loss, and tinnitus, have prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment since September 4, 2014. The Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.
- Denied
The Veteran's back disorder is service-connected, but his bilateral knee disorders and breathing problems are not.,His left elbow disorder was resolved in-service. His acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and depression) secondary to migraines is also denied.
- Granted
The Board has restored a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease, with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy from the effective date of the reduction.
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