The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar spine disability and associated radiculopathy was denied. The RO granted a 10 percent rating for the left lower extremity from October 10, 2007 to December 4, 2008, but did not grant any higher ratings.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for increased ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy in left lower extremity, radiculopathy in right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2009
- Citation
- 0946902
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0946902.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a labral tear and cartilage defect of the left shoulder, DDD of the lumbar spine, and SI joint dysfunction due to the Veteran's service-connected low back disability. The decision is based on the current disabilities being causally related to injuries sustained during service.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a bilateral hip disorder, manifested by pain and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine. The claim for a hand disorder was denied.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy, but denied increased ratings for intervertebral disc syndrome and other conditions.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disability and denied increased ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity prior to June 7, 2024. The appeal was remanded for other issues.
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