The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, effective June 26, 2020. The other conditions and issues were either denied or had their ratings unchanged.
The deciding factor: The VA examination revealed significant functional impairment with flexion limited to 70 degrees and extension, lateral flexion, and rotation additionally limited to 15 degrees due to pain and spasm, resulting in abnormal gait. The examiner concluded that the Veteran's back pain affected his ability to find comfortable positions for sitting, sleeping, or standing.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), tension headache disability, lumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- September 28, 2023
- Citation
- 23054066
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 23054066.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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