The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability from December 20, 2012, to June 8, 2023, as the evidence did not show forward flexion to 30 degrees or less or ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examinations from January 2015, May 2019, and January 2020 were adequate for rating purposes as they showed forward flexion was consistently 35 degrees or greater, even with flare-ups or repeated use over a period of time.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 14, 2025
- Citation
- 25009158
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,287 · Granted: 23% (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 25009158.
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 decided to remand the claims for service connection for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities due to a predecisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's past medical history needs to be considered in the new examination.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder, gout, multiple painful joints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as directly related to service.,The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability and cervical spine disability are both granted as directly related to service.,Both conditions were found to be at least as likely as not caused by the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status.
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