The Board has granted service connection for a back disorder, finding that the appellant incurred this condition during active military service and has had continuous symptoms since discharge. The benefit of doubt rule was applied in favor of the appellant.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the appellant's current level of back disability may be related to an intercurrent injury post-service rather than any disability stemming from events in service, but granted service connection based on the appellant's complaint of continuous symptomatology and medical opinions tracing the disorder to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2003
- Citation
- 0306223
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 0306223.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, PTSD, a right shoulder disorder, and a back disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, neck, back, headache, right ankle, right knee, right shoulder, and right elbow disorders, penile disorder (erectile dysfunction), and sleep apnea, to correct a pre-decisional error by verifying the Veteran's duty status in January 2017 and obtaining additional medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss and remanded the claims for service connection, increased ratings for acne and knee disorders, and pes planus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and evidence collection, as some relevant private treatment records have not been obtained.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.