The Veteran is currently in receipt of a 20 percent rating for his service-connected degenerative disc disease (DDD) at L5-S1 prior to August 18, 2003 and a 40 percent rating from that date. The claim for higher initial evaluations remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's DDD at L5-S1 has not met the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent prior to August 18, 2003 or in excess of 40 percent from that date under the applicable rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) at L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 20, 2009
- Citation
- 0914745
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 0914745.
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 service-connected low back disability, characterized by degenerative disc disease at L5-S1 and lumbar radiculopathy, did not meet the criteria for a higher rating than 20 percent prior to June 22, 2015; and higher than 40 percent thereafter. The Board denied his claims.
- Denied
The Veteran's low back disability is currently rated at 20 percent prior to June 22, 2015 and 40 percent thereafter. The Veteran was granted a 50 percent rating for migraine headaches effective July 9, 2015. His radiculopathy of the right lower extremity remains at 10 percent. A 20 percent rating is granted for his radiculopathy of the left lower extremity with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, but no higher.
- Granted
The Veteran's chronic lumbosacral strain was rated at 10 percent prior to September 14, 2013 and increased to 20 percent since that date.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected lumbar DDD and cervicalgia have not resulted in any compensable disability ratings due to the lack of incapacitating episodes or significant functional impairment.
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