The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is rated at 20 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's radiculopathy, right lower extremity prior to June 4, 2018, is rated at 10 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's radiculopathy, right lower extremity from June 4, 2018, is rated at 20 percent, which meets the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran is not found to be unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine does not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent as there are no findings of unfavorable ankylosis, incapacitating episodes requiring bed rest prescribed by a physician, or flexion limited to 30 degrees or less.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease lumbosacral spine, Radiculopathy right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20081441
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,030 · Granted: 17% (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 20081441.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of July 24, 2020 for service connection of degenerative arthritis lumbosacral spine and related conditions, including radiculopathy right lower extremity. The decision is based on the submission of a valid Supplemental Claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal for an addendum opinion that considers the ameliorative effects of medication when evaluating the Veteran's bilateral radiculopathy of the lower extremities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent rating for sinusitis with sinus headaches and remanded several other issues, including increased ratings for radiculopathy of the lower extremities, degenerative arthritis conditions, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities precluded him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience, effective July 29, 2016.
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