The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability warrants a 100 percent evaluation due to multi-level degenerative changes, spondylolisthesis, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy, autofusion and degenerative arthropathy extending from T12 all the way to the sacrum, muscle spasm, limitation of motion, ankylosis, pronounced appearance of stoop, spinal stenosis, instability, and functional impairment due to pain.
The deciding factor: The veteran's lumbar spine disability is characterized by multi-level degenerative changes, spondylolisthesis, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy, autofusion and degenerative arthropathy extending from T12 all the way to the sacrum, muscle spasm, limitation of motion, ankylosis, pronounced appearance of stoop, spinal stenosis, instability, and functional impairment due to pain.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral degenerative disc and joint disease, history of radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 4, 2006
- Citation
- 0637621
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,547 · Granted: 20% (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 0637621.
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 claims for lumbosacral strain, lumbosacral degenerative disc and joint disease and L3-L4 central spinal canal narrowing, left lower femoral radiculopathy, left lower sciatic radiculopathy, and right lower sciatic radiculopathy due to inconsistencies in the VA examination reports.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was a duty to assist error and remanded the case for additional development. The Veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder with obesity is alleged to have caused or aggravated his obesity, which in turn allegedly caused his current low back condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbosacral degenerative disc and joint disease is rated at 20 percent effective September 26, 2018. Service connection for right hip disability, right thigh disability, left hip disability, and left thigh disability are denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbosacral radiculopathy of the left lower extremity is granted a 20% rating, effective February 7, 2012. The Veteran's surgical scar of the lumbosacral spine is granted a 10% rating on and after September 19, 2019. The reduction in the rating for lumbosacral degenerative disc and joint disease from 20% to 10% is restored.
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