The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his low back disability is denied as the evidence does not show that he meets the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his post-surgical spinal fusion scar is denied as the evidence does not show that he has scars associated with underlying tissue damage.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show forward flexion of the lumbar spine of 30 degrees or less, ankylosis of the spine, or functional loss equivalent to ankylosis. The Veteran's disability is rated under Diagnostic Code (DC) 5243 for degenerative joint disease and intervertebral disc syndrome.,The evidence does not show a compensable rating as the Veteran’s post-surgical spinal fusion scar does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under DC 7801 or DC 7802.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability, Post-surgical spinal fusion scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2024
- Citation
- A24064408
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,242 · Granted: 24% (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 A24064408.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disability, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluation and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address the severity of his low back disability, including whether he has experienced incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
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