The veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 60 percent, and his cervical spine disability is rated at 40 percent. The right shoulder disorder and left shoulder disorder are both rated at 10 percent each.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports the maximum ratings for the lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities due to severe range of motion loss with marked fatigability, muscle spasm, and radiculopathy in the lower extremities. The right and left shoulder disorders are separately rated at 10 percent each based on sensory neurologic deficits.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertrophic arthritis of the lumbar spine, Degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, Right shoulder disorder (degenerative joint disease and rotator cuff tear), Left shoulder disorder (degenerative joint disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- March 7, 2006
- Citation
- 0606503
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 684 · Granted: 25% (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 0606503.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examiner's opinion regarding service connection for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine is incomplete and requires further clarification. The case is being remanded to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's current condition is related to his military service, including two claimed inservice collision injuries.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical spine disability, finding that there is no evidence of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active service and no causal relationship between the current disability and any service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a cervical spine disability to obtain an adequate medical opinion addressing both causation and aggravation.
- Denied
The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's knee and cervical spine disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
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