The veteran's back condition, including lumbar myositis, bulging disc, degenerative joint disease, reverse lordosis, spondylosis, and discogenic disease, is currently rated at 40 percent. The Board has now granted a higher rating of 60 percent based on the severity of his symptoms.
The deciding factor: The veteran's back condition, characterized by constant low back pain with muscle spasm, tenderness, swelling, and restricted, guarded, and painful movement; radiculopathy manifesting in radiating pain, numbness, paresthesias, atrophy, and decreased sensation, strength, and reflexes of the lower extremities; x-ray evidence of reverse lordosis, spondylosis, degenerative joint disease, bulging disc, and discogenic disease of the lumbosacral spine, meets the criteria for a 60 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5293.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar myositis, bulging disc, degenerative joint disease, reverse lordosis, spondylosis, discogenic disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- May 16, 2006
- Citation
- 0614286
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 0614286.
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 denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for his lumbar spine disability has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as there was no unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disorder and an incomplete record of chiropractic care. The Veteran is requested to provide or authorize VA to obtain his treatment records from chiropractors, and an addendum opinion will be provided by a VA examiner.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for intervertebral disc syndrome and left lower extremity radiculopathy were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent.
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