The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability characterized as degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine without myelopathy, and spondylosis of the lumbar spine. The Veteran's combined disability rating is now at 50 percent effective January 9, 2012.
The deciding factor: The October 2011 VA examination established that the Veteran’s diagnosis was related to service, resolving all reasonable doubt in his favor.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine without myelopathy, Spondylosis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- May 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19141422
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19141422.
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 Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disability as secondary to a cervical spine disability due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating in several areas, including obstructive sleep apnea and spondylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee chondromalacia with degenerative arthritis, left knee chondromalacia, and spondylosis of the lumbar spine have been denied. The evidence does not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
- Granted
The Veteran's DJD of the cervical spine and spondylosis of the lumbar spine are granted as service-connected.
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