The Veteran's low back disability was initially rated at 20 percent prior to March 27, 2014 and then increased to 40 percent from March 27, 2014 through October 7, 2014. The appeal is denied for both periods.,The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 40 percent from March 27, 2014 through October 7, 2014 and the appeal is denied.
The deciding factor: The criteria for a higher rating were not met as the Veteran’s range of motion did not meet the requirements for a disability rating higher than 20 percent prior to March 27, 2014. The criteria for a higher rating were also not met from March 27, 2014 through October 7, 2014 as there was no evidence of ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic lumbar strain with degenerative joint disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, and disc herniation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20080489
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (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 20080489.
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