The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's degenerative arthritis in the facet joints and discs of the lumbar spine with decreased disc space at L5-S1. The claim for service connection for a bilateral eye disorder, to include as secondary to diabetes mellitus, is remanded.
The deciding factor: A VA examiner provided an opinion that it was at least as likely as not that the veteran's low back disability was related to his military service due to wear and tear from his service. The claimant's history of lower back problems during service supported this conclusion.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral eye disorder, chronic low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 29, 2006
- Citation
- 0630709
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,419 · Granted: 21% (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 0630709.
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 Board has determined that the claims for service connection must be remanded due to inadequate examinations and opinions. The Veteran's skin disorder, respiratory disorder, Crohn's disease, eye disorder, and migraines are all being reviewed again with new medical evaluations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for further development. The Veteran's pericardial cyst is being reviewed, as well as his bilateral eye disorder.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral eye disorder, but denied service connection for his CAD and DM II. The bilateral eye disorder is related to exposure to ionizing radiation in service. However, there is no evidence linking CAD and DM II to service or to the Veteran's service-connected TBI.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral eye disorder, to include as a manifestation of an intracranial vessel disorder, finding that the Veteran's current condition did not have its onset in service and was not due to any in-service event, injury, or disease.
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