The Veteran's lumbar strain with degenerative changes does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show moderate or severe intervertebral disc syndrome, ankylosis, or other criteria for a higher rating under the applicable regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lumbar strain with degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2009
- Citation
- 0909337
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 325 · 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 0909337.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative changes was denied. The attempted appeal of the duty to assist error during the higher-level review for right hip degenerative arthritis was dismissed as there was no decision from which the Veteran could appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal for increased ratings for migraine headaches and chronic lumbar strain with degenerative changes.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates have been dismissed. A rating of 40 percent has been granted for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative changes since May 26, 2016.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination. A new examination is needed to assess her service-connected back disability.
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