The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and remanded other claims for further development.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of forward thoracolumbar flexion to 30 degrees or less, ankylosis, or functional ankylosis even when considering functional impairment during flares or on repetitive use.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (LLE), radiculopathy of the right lower extremity (RLE)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 14, 2025
- Citation
- 25006577
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,836 · Granted: 31% (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 25006577.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities prior to November 22, 2022.,The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for a right foot disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity is granted a disability rating of 40 percent, but no higher. The initial compensable rating for hypertension and TDIU are also granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for plantar fasciitis, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (LLE), and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity (RLE) due to a duty to assist error in obtaining adequate opinions regarding causation and aggravation.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for increased ratings pertaining to the Veteran's service-connected low back disability and associated radiculopathy of the LLE, except as noted for a 60 percent rating from December 2, 2023.
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