The Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) but denied an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spine disability did not warrant a higher rating due to the lack of evidence showing forward flexion to 30 degrees or less, favorable ankylosis, or equivalent thereof. However, his service-connected disabilities precluded him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- November 5, 2025
- Citation
- A25096181
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 A25096181.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for depressive disorder, cervical strain (claimed as cervical spine condition), lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, tinnitus, endometriosis, female sexual arousal disorder, and urinary frequency. The Veteran's claims for these conditions are supported by medical evidence linking them to her military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD) due to a lack of consideration of potential aggravation during active service and an inadequate medical opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and granted a 40 percent disability rating for right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, while denying all other claims.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 26, 2022, for the award of a 50 percent rating for chronic sinusitis and a 40 percent rating for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD), but denied an earlier effective date for allergic rhinitis.
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