The Board found that the veteran's DDD at L4-L5 approximates mild but not intervertebral disc syndrome prior to January 31, 2003, and moderate but not greater intervertebral disc syndrome with recurring attacks after January 31, 2003. The veteran was assigned a 20 percent rating for his DDD at L4-L5 effective from January 31, 2003.
The deciding factor: The VA examination results did not warrant an increased rating beyond the 20 percent already assigned based on moderate intervertebral disc syndrome with recurring attacks after January 31, 2003.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) at L4-L5
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 21, 2006
- Citation
- 0608163
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,613 · Granted: 30% (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 0608163.
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