The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine, bilateral foot, and right thumb disabilities prior to certain dates but granted a 40% rating for his lumbar spine disability effective October 29, 2020.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the severity of the Veteran's symptoms as documented in medical examinations and records, which did not meet the criteria for higher ratings prior to certain dates but met them after those dates.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and intervertebral disc displacement (lumbar spine disability), Bilateral foot disabilities, Ulnar collateral ligament strain of the right thumb (right thumb disability), Right thumb numbness and tingling associated with service-connected right thumb disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2025
- Citation
- 25015226
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (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 25015226.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 13, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, functional abdominal pain syndrome (FAPS), and fibromyalgia. The initial disability ratings for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and migraine headaches were also denied. Some claims related to other disabilities were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, finding no current disability. The claim for service connection for bilateral foot disabilities was remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral foot, left knee, and left ankle disabilities, allowing the attorney to receive a fee based on past-due benefits awarded.
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