The veteran's shell fragment wound residuals of the left buttocks are currently manifested by muscle atrophy, decreased motor power for abduction and adduction, antalgic gait, and slight foot drop. The Board has granted a 50 percent rating under DC 5317 for severe impairment to Muscle Group XVII. Service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is denied as not proximately due to service-connected shell fragment wound residuals.
The deciding factor: The veteran's left buttock disability more nearly approximates a 'severe' impairment, warranting a 50 percent rating under DC 5317. The Board finds no causal relationship between the veteran's service-connected shell fragment wounds and his degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine, Residuals of shell fragment wound, left lower back (buttocks) with left foot drop, Muscle Group XVII
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- August 28, 2006
- Citation
- 0627173
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 0627173.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine (claimed as back injury) due to inadequate VA examination and failure to comply with prior remand directives.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine was dismissed due to concurrent election of review options.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine, with muscle spasms; right elbow pain; and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy/ sciatica as secondary to the back disability have all been granted.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of TDIU due to lack of factual support and found that the Veteran's unemployability was not a result of his service-connected conditions during the one-year look-back period.
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