The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease and intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The decision finds that the Veteran's current DDD with IVDS of the lumbar spine is related to his in-service injury, despite conflicting medical opinions and lack of contemporaneous medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 24, 2021
- Citation
- 21031789
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21031789.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeals regarding an increased rating for degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome and service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder are dismissed as they are duplicative of claims already pending in the modernized review system.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine disability, pes planus, and allergic rhinitis were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of entitlement to an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for each condition.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for left wrist disability was remanded due to inadequate opinions regarding its etiology.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his low back disability since September 26, 2007 was denied. The claim for a higher rating prior to September 26, 2007 was also denied. The TDIU claim was denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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