The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative disc disease with lumbosacral strain and a right rib fracture, have resulted in the loss of use of his lower extremities. The Board has granted certificates of eligibility for financial assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant, as well as for purchasing an automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected disabilities are productive of the loss of use of both lower extremities, meeting the criteria for financial assistance under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease with lumbosacral strain, right rib fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- June 2, 2003
- Citation
- 0311175
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 0311175.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent evaluation for sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, a 30 percent evaluation for femoral nerve radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), but denied an increased evaluation in excess of 40 percent for spinal stenosis and lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome.
- Partly granted
The Board granted initial ratings of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease and 20 percent for right and left lower extremity radiculopathies, but denied higher ratings. Other claims were either granted with non-compensable ratings or denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected back disability, finding that the muscle relaxants used for his back condition aggravate his OSA.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal.
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