The veteran's low back disability is manifested by severe disc disease and neurological findings including sciatic neuropathy, warranting a higher initial rating of 60 percent.
The deciding factor: Severe lumbar degenerative disc disease with associated neurological symptoms supported the need for a higher initial rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back pain with compression fracture at L1, Disc bulge at L4-L5, Chronic left shoulder tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- November 21, 2006
- Citation
- 0636307
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 493 · Granted: 28% (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 0636307.
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 veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected disabilities were denied. The mid thoracic vertebra T9 disability is rated at 10 percent, the low back pain with compression fracture L1 and disc bulge L4-L5 disability is also rated at 10 percent, and the chronic left shoulder tendonitis disability remains at a 10 percent rating.
- 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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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