Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Granted

The Board has determined that the veteran's current osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral spine is a residual of an in-service low back strain, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The deciding factor: Reasonable doubt was resolved in favor of the veteran, who provided credible testimony regarding his in-service injury and subsequent development of symptoms.

Claimed conditions
osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral spine
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
March 23, 2004
Citation
0407506

Veterans Law Judge

BARBARA B. COPELAND

Decisions by this judge: 1,515 · Granted: 20% (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 0407506.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

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.