The veteran's service-connected DJD and DDD of the lumbar spine is manifested by complaints of pain and no more than moderate functional impairment, accompanied by symptoms compatible with mild neurological deficit in each lower extremity. The Board finds that an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for DJD and DDD of the lumbar spine has not been met.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence indicates that the veteran's service-connected DJD and DDD of the lumbar spine is manifested by complaints of pain and no more than moderate functional impairment, accompanied by symptoms compatible with mild neurological deficit in each lower extremity. The Board finds that an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for DJD and DDD of the lumbar spine has not been met.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Radiculopathy of the lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 9, 2008
- Citation
- 0811704
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 680 · 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 0811704.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted restoration of a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, effective May 6, 2024.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings and separate disability ratings for lumbar spine, knee, and radiculopathy disabilities due to deficiencies in previous VA examinations.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders are caused and aggravated by his service-connected disabilities. The Board has granted the claim for service connection, but the effective date of the TDIU is remanded due to insufficient clinical evidence.
- Denied
The Veteran's hypertension is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board denied a compensable rating.,The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol use disorder did not meet the criteria for an effective period under 38 C.F.R. § 4.29 prior to July 13, 2018, or subsequent to August 31, 2018.
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