The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for thoracolumbar degenerative changes was granted, with a uniform 40 percent rating effective December 10, 2021. The VA initially scheduled the Veteran for a back conditions examination in March 2022 to determine his disability level and assigned him this rating based on his limited range of motion.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine had forward flexion of 30 degrees or less, meeting the criteria for a 40 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- March 5, 2026
- Citation
- A26020038
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 A26020038.
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 granted the Veteran's appeal as his timely filed VA Form 9 was received, and the presumption of regularity in mailing the Statement of the Case (SOC) to his attorney has been rebutted.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not due to service-connected disabilities, and the VA-prescribed medications did not result in an additional disability or death. The Board found that the medications prescribed for his service-connected conditions were not causally related to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and whether VA negligence in providing medical care contributed to his death. The appellant is seeking service connection for the cause of her husband’s death, which was caused by a combination of diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and other conditions related to his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before a decision can be made regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for thoracolumbar degenerative changes and left pelvis injury. The case will be remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records, as well as a VA examination to determine the etiology of these disabilities.
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