The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine and osteoarthritis of the cervical spine with foraminal stenosis and intervertebral disc syndrome. The other conditions were denied as they are not attributable to service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a direct link between the current disabilities and service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine, Osteoarthritis of the cervical spine with foraminal stenosis and intervertebral disc syndrome, Right shoulder impingement syndrome, Right rotator cuff tendonitis, Right rotator cuff tear, Right foot hammertoe, Right foot drop
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19195225
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,886 · Granted: 24% (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 19195225.
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 has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine (claimed as back injury) due to inadequate VA examination and failure to comply with prior remand directives.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability is currently rated at 20% under the old rating criteria. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an updated VA examination and determine the current severity of the service-connected condition without considering any ameliorative effects of medication.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his right shoulder disability is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board will provide the Veteran with another VA examination to assess the severity and manifestations of his service-connected right shoulder impingement syndrome, bicipital tendonitis, rotator cuff tear, tendonitis, and degenerative arthritis.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for increased special monthly compensation (SMC) was denied as she is not entitled to the higher rate under section 1114(o). The Board found that her service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and right foot drop, are already accounted for in the current SMC rates.
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