The veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent, effective January 29, 1998. The left leg disability remains at 10 percent.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back injury with degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 27, 2006
- Citation
- 0633270
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,011 · 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 0633270.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain VA treatment records and a new medical examination, including an opinion on the relationship between his right hip disorder and his service-connected low back injury.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected low back injury with degenerative disc disease is currently rated at 40 percent, effective from the date of this decision.
- Denied
The VA denied an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for the veteran's low back injury with degenerative disc disease, finding that the current rating adequately reflects his disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a low back injury with degenerative disc disease and assigned a 10 percent evaluation. The claim for hypertension was not supported by the evidence, resulting in no rating being assigned.
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