Service connection is granted for cervical spine disability, lumbar spine degenerative joint disease with right lower extremity radiculopathy, and degenerative changes of the sacroiliac joint.,Service connection is denied for arthritis other than arthritis of the cervical spine, lumbar spine, or sacroiliac joints, swollen joints, and hypertension.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinion provided by a different private treatment provider in July 2019 supported that the Veteran's cervical spine disability is related to his service-connected right foot disability. The examiner explained that over time an abnormal gait pattern can lead to disruption of the kinetic chain and subsequent degenerative disability at points along the kinetic chain.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disability, Lumbar spine degenerative joint disease with right lower extremity radiculopathy, Degenerative changes of the sacroiliac joint, Arthritis other than arthritis of the cervical spine, lumbar spine, or sacroiliac joints, Swollen joints, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19185194
Veterans Law Judge
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 19185194.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent, the maximum rating available under the General Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The evidence does not support a higher rating as his range of motion did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.
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