The Veteran's back disability was granted a 40% evaluation from October 6, 2015 to November 5, 2018.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed consistent symptoms with forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine at or below 30 degrees and favorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine during this period.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 4, 2022
- Citation
- 22000247
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 715 · Granted: 43% (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 22000247.
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 a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and a compensable rating for right ear otalgia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's low back condition is rated at 40 percent, and the Board has remanded his claims for left knee and right leg conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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