The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disability warrants a rating of 60 percent from July 4, 1994 to June 11, 1995 and a rating of 40 percent since June 12, 1995.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed severe intervertebral disc syndrome with persistent symptoms compatible with sciatic neuropathy during the period from July 4, 1994 to June 11, 1995 and at least moderate limitation of motion in the lumber spine since September 23, 2002.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back pain, L5-S1 bulging disc, Desiccated L5-S1 disc, Left leg radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- April 1, 2003
- Citation
- 0306275
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,582 · Granted: 32% (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 0306275.
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.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for eligibility in the PCAFC program due to insufficient evidence showing a need for personal care services, and thus denied the appeal.
- Denied
The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for treatment purposes only under 38 USC Chapter 17 for a disability of the spine and migraine headaches, as there is no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's back condition is related to his service-connected left knee replacement residuals and grants service connection for this secondary condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of low back pain due to a motor vehicle accident during service. The Veteran's lay statements and a buddy statement support his assertion that his back pain began after the 1982 motor vehicle accident. However, both VA examiners provided opinions that were inadequate as they did not consider these statements.
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