The Board has granted service connection for a spine disability and lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities. The Veteran was also granted an increased rating of 30 percent for his scars.
The deciding factor: Service connection is established for the Veteran's spine disability and lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to his service-connected knee disabilities due to a private medical opinion linking these conditions to his knee injuries.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, Lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- December 18, 2024
- Citation
- A24084438
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 A24084438.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, and depressive disorder. However, it granted a total disability rating based on unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation at the housebound rate.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability and associated lower extremity radiculopathy have precluded him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment since December 19, 2018.
- Denied
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for DJD of the lumbar spine from February 25, 2016 to September 15, 2023 and denied a rating in excess of 40 percent from September 16, 2023.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial evaluations for DJD of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of both lower extremities have been denied as they do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria.
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