The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and separate ratings for mild right and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, mild right lower extremity radiculopathy, mild left lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 12, 2004
- Citation
- 0409486
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,242 · Granted: 26% (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 0409486.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and remanded other claims for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine was granted a 40 percent rating, but no higher, from August 1, 2005 through December 2, 2008. The TDIU claim for this period was denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a VA annual clothing allowance for the year 2016 due to use of back and wrist braces is denied as her fabric-covered braces do not cause irreparable damage to her outer clothing.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent since August 15, 2016. A separate rating of 10 percent for mild right lower extremity radiculopathy associated with the lumbar spine disability was granted effective January 22, 2015.
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