The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for her degenerative disease of the lumbar spine was denied. For the period prior to August 21, 2020, she is rated at 10 percent and for the period from August 21, 2020, she is rated at 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's flexion of the lumbar spine was found to be limited to no more than 80 degrees prior to August 21, 2020 and to no more than 60 degrees from that date. These findings do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20074431
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 multiple conditions, including degenerative diseases of the cervical and lumbar spine, radiculopathies affecting various extremities, OSA, hepatic steatosis, and supraventricular arrhythmia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA examinations and requests for new evaluations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded for further development, including an examination to determine the etiology of the veteran's lumbar degenerative disease.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was reopened, but a rating in excess of 10 percent for atopic eczema and active candidiasis was not granted.
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