The Veteran's nonservice-connected disabilities include degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, moderate L5 radiculopathy, left S1 radiculopathy, and hepatitis C. His combined disability rating is 40 percent. The Board found that his disorders fail to meet the minimum schedular rating for consideration of a nonservice-connected pension.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's disabilities do not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes as they are not rated at 60% or more, nor does he have two or more disabilities each rated at 40% or more with combined ratings of 70% or more.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, moderate L5 radiculopathy, left S1 radiculopathy, hepatitis C
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0944150
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 0944150.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and its secondary effects on other conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes mellitus type II, esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and splenomegaly.
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