The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the thoracic spine disability, effective June 24, 2024. The Veteran's disability is currently rated 20 percent under Codes 5010-5235 from June 1, 2008 (the date service connection was awarded) and 40 percent from 5235 from June 24, 2024.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations cumulatively addressed the severity of the Veteran's disability with repeated use over time and during flare-ups without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracic Spine Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- February 26, 2026
- Citation
- 26002722
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 26002722.
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.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) from February 1, 2021 due to continued service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to March 28, 2018.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of right shoulder, cervical spine, and thoracic spine disabilities due to a finding that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the January 1992 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of her right knee, thoracic spine, and sleep apnea disabilities. The claims are being returned for further development.
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