The Board has granted service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar strain with degenerative joint disease. The initial evaluation for major depression is also granted at a 70 percent rate.
The deciding factor: The veteran's current symptoms of social isolation, irritability, and suicidal thoughts are indicative of occupational and social impairment that more nearly approximates the criteria for a 70 percent disability rating under Diagnostic Code 9434.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity disorder, left lower extremity disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- June 28, 2006
- Citation
- 0618893
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 0618893.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran before a decision was made, and therefore, it is dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders, including knee and lumbar spine conditions, due to inadequate medical opinions that fail to adequately separate out symptoms related to service-connected disabilities from nonservice-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a sleep disorder other than insomnia and denied increased ratings for migraine headaches, PTSD with alcohol use disorder, insomnia disorder, and residuals of TBI, and TDIU prior to October 27, 2021. However, the Board granted a 50 percent rating for migraine headaches since June 11, 2021, a 70 percent rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder, insomnia disorder, and residuals of TBI since May 1, 2019, and a TDIU solely due to service-connected psychiatric disabilities as of October 27, 2021.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection for various disorders, including oral surgery residuals and related conditions, due to the Veteran's death before a final decision could be made.
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