The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the lumbar spine disability effective November 24, 2021, but denied an initial rating in excess of 20 percent prior to that date.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was productive of the functional equivalent of favorable ankylosis from November 24, 2021, but not earlier.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25102147
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,011 · Granted: 24% (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 A25102147.
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 Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no evidence to support higher ratings or a link between her current conditions and military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and arthritis, radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities (sciatic nerves), left eye atrophy with visual field loss, and bilateral glaucoma with left eye atrophy are all rated as per the current evidence. The case is remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation for the period prior to June 21, 2012.
- Granted
The Board found that the veteran's low back disability is manifested by limitation of motion and pain, but no clinical evidence of incapacitating episodes. The rating assigned for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and arthritis was determined to be appropriate at 30 percent.
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