The Veteran's service-connected low back strain with intervertebral disc syndrome renders him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU due to this condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's ongoing back symptoms and limitations, including chronic back pain, difficulty walking, and an inability to sit for prolonged periods, rendered him totally precluded from all forms of employment, consistent with his educational background and work history.
- Claimed conditions
- low back strain with intervertebral disc syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- March 27, 2023
- Citation
- 23018789
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 23018789.
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 granted increased ratings for the Veteran's low back strain and right ankle strain, as well as a TDIU prior to December 23, 2022, and an effective date of December 21, 2017, but no earlier, for DEA benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance of another person, or by reason of being housebound is remanded due to inadequate findings regarding loss of use of the lower extremities. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.
- 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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