The Board found that the January 2008 rating decision granting service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and bilateral leg radiculopathy was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous.
The deciding factor: There were conflicting medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's degenerative disc disease was caused or aggravated by his service-connected low back strain, but the July 2009 VA examiner provided a positive opinion supporting secondary service connection for aggravation of the condition by the service-connected low back strain and the private surgeon opined that the current back condition was related to prior body mechanics used during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine at L4-5 level, Bilateral leg radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 19, 2013
- Citation
- 1323082
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 1323082.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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