The Board granted an increased rating of 40 percent for lumbar degenerative joint disease but remanded the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar DJD manifested in forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 30 degrees or less, which warranted a 40 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. However, there was no evidence of ankylosis or its functional equivalent, precluding a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 28, 2025
- Citation
- A25102693
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,081 · Granted: 38% (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 A25102693.
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.
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- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of meningitis, increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy, and sleep apnea have been denied. The Board has also remanded several other issues related to the Veteran's disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea has been reopened. The Board finds that a remand is warranted to obtain missing STRs and private treatment records, as well as to schedule VA examinations for the left upper and lower extremity radiculopathy and cervical and lumbar disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered the case remanded due to inadequate medical examinations, requiring a new VA examination that complies with specific holding in Sharp, Correia, and Mitchell.
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