The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for low back syndrome with degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, which was previously denied in May 1972. The decision is granted.
The deciding factor: New and material evidence has been presented supporting the reopening of the veteran's service connection claim.
- Claimed conditions
- low back syndrome, degenerative changes of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 23, 2003
- Citation
- 0309862
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 0309862.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, which is secondary to her degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, has been remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The Board found that VA did not obtain private medical records from Hiro Chiropractic and Springfield Family Physicians, who treated the Veteran during the period on appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of gastrointestinal disability other than umbilical hernia (including irritable bowel syndrome) and back disability. The Board found new evidence relevant to these claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected low back syndrome is being remanded due to inadequacies in the July 2024 VA examination, including failure to consider medication effects and flare-ups.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for reductions in ratings for post operative left femur fracture with leg length discrepancy and chondromalacia residuals, and degenerative changes of the lumbar spine.
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