The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis, finding that it is proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected varicose veins in her left and right lower extremities.
The deciding factor: The December 2020 VA examiner's opinion supported a causal relationship between the Veteran's lumbar spine condition and her service-connected varicose veins, which was deemed highly probative given its detailed rationale and supporting medical literature.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 7, 2024
- Citation
- A24063743
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 issue of entitlement to a disability rating for degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis higher than 10 percent from April 3, 2015, through December 4, 2018, and higher than 20 percent from December 5, 2018, through March 8, 2021.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for various conditions, including degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis and multiple types of radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal stenosis was not found to meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating prior to November 10, 2009. From November 10, 2009 to March 6, 2013, he received a 10 percent rating. The 20 percent rating from March 7, 2013 to April 2, 2015 was granted. Since then, the Veteran's condition has not met or approximated the criteria for a higher rating.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
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