The Board found that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability warranted a 40% rating, effective from October 27, 2006. The other claims were denied.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine condition and the lack of evidence supporting the other claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) and Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- February 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0904623
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (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 0904623.
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 Veteran's increased disability ratings for DDD and DJD of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, left shoulder, and tension headaches are granted with an effective date of December 1, 2013.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment prior to October 6, 2014.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are sufficient to bring his combined rating to 90 percent, with at least one disability rated 40 percent or higher; these service-connected disabilities preclude the Veteran from maintaining gainful employment.
- Denied
The Veteran's DDD and DJD of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 40 percent, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.
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