The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was denied as his disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,Service connection for radiculopathy in both lower extremities was also denied, with the Board finding that there is no current evidence of such conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine did not result in forward flexion to 60 degrees or less, a combined range of motion less than 120 degrees, muscle spasm or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or spinal contour, ankylosis, neurological abnormalities, or incapacitating episodes having a total duration of at least 2 weeks but less than 4 weeks during the past 12 months.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Radiculopathy in the right lower extremity, Radiculopathy in the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 16, 2017
- Citation
- 1707992
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 1707992.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was diagnosed during service and has continued since then. The Board granted service connection for this condition based on continuity of symptomatology.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, is related to service and granted service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examinations and the need for a retrospective opinion regarding the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
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