Service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right and left hip, and degenerative arthritis of the right and left ankle has been granted effective June 17, 2009.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service records show multiple instances of back pain during service, including after a fall from a telephone pole. His current DDD of the lumbar spine is related to his in-service injury. The Veteran also had bilateral hip and ankle disorders that he reported were caused by falls during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Osteoarthritis of the right hip, Osteoarthritis of the left hip, Degenerative arthritis of the right ankle, Degenerative arthritis of the left ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 11, 2026
- Citation
- 26001920
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 26001920.
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 Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right ankle, finding that the Veteran's current symptoms are related to his military service and resolving all reasonable doubt in his favor.
- Granted
The Board has determined that new evidence received after the June 2024 denial supports a finding of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left ankle. The decision concludes that the Veteran's current disability is at least as likely as not related to his in-service injury playing softball.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy were denied. The Board found that no claim was received prior to July 15, 2021 and thus the proper effective date is July 15, 2021.,The Veteran also sought an earlier effective date for his left lower extremity radiculopathy, which was similarly denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is remanded due to concerns about the adequacy of a previous examination report, which did not include measurements using a goniometer.
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