The Board granted a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's back disability and restored the 40 percent rating, effective February 1, 2025. The Board also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work, and resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran, his back disability demonstrated functional ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine. Additionally, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral degenerative arthritis, disc disease with spinal stenosis, intervertebral disc syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- July 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25057723
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on either incapacitating episodes or unfavorable ankylosis.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection back disorder, as due to clear and unmistakable error (CUE), was dismissed because the appeal request was not timely filed.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome based on the Veteran's continuous symptoms since service.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of August 26, 2021, for the award of service connection for lumbosacral strain and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy with sciatic nerve involvement.
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