The Board granted an effective date of August 24, 2009, for the award of service connection for degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral spine, left lower extremity mild sciatic radiculopathy, and right lower extremity mild sciatic radiculopathy. An earlier effective date was denied for the scar associated with degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine.
The deciding factor: The relevant service department records received in February 2014 formed the basis of the December 2018 grant, allowing an earlier effective date as per 38 C.F.R. § 3.156(c)(3).
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral spine, Left lower extremity mild sciatic radiculopathy, Right lower extremity mild sciatic radiculopathy, Scar associated with degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- February 26, 2025
- Citation
- A25017745
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 22% (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 A25017745.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including arteriosclerotic heart disease and PTSD, preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Denied
The Board denied an effective date prior to January 10, 2008 for the grant of service connection for degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral spine and also denied revision or reversal of the October 20, 2008 rating decision based on Clear and Unmistakable Error (CUE).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral spine due to a lack of consideration of all relevant evidence and an inadequate medical opinion.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbosacral spine disease is rated at 10 percent, the lowest available rating under VA regulations. The evidence does not support a higher rating as there is no objective medical evidence of forward flexion less than 60 degrees or combined range of motion greater than 120 degrees.
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