The Board granted an increased rating of 40 percent for the Veteran's back disability for the entire period on appeal prior to February 24, 2021.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports that the Veteran's service-connected back disability more closely approximates the criteria for a 40 percent rating due to functional loss during flare-ups and limited motion.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- April 3, 2025
- Citation
- 25004582
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 remands the claims for a higher rating in excess of the current ratings for various musculoskeletal conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable evaluation for hypertension and granted an increased rating of 20 percent for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease from April 13, 2022. The effective date for the right lower extremity radiculopathy was also granted as May 10, 2016.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to September 20, 2018, for the award of service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining a retrospective medical opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions without the use of pain medication and securing the credentials of the VA examiners.
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