The Veteran's DDD, L5-S1, was granted a 20 percent rating effective April 20, 2011. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings at any point.
The deciding factor: The VA examination and medical records showed that after April 20, 2011, the Veteran's DDD was primarily productive of forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 80 degrees with muscle spasm producing an abnormal gait. This did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- September 5, 2014
- Citation
- 1439616
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 1439616.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected DDD, L5-S1 and Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety and Depressed Mood are remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess the severity of these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease (DDD), L5-S1, did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to his death in August 2010. The Board found that the evidence does not show he was unemployable due solely to this disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's DDD, L5-S1, was rated at 20 percent from April 20, 2011 to March 31, 2015. The rating was reduced to 10 percent effective April 1, 2015 for both the right and left lower lumbar radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board found no medical evidence linking the veteran's current Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) to his active military service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.
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