The Board has granted service connection for chloracne due to presumed exposure to herbicides during active duty in Vietnam. The Veteran's low back disability is also found to be related to his combat injuries sustained during service, and the Board has determined that this relationship is as likely as not caused by his military service.
The deciding factor: The August 2007 VA examiner opined that the Veteran's current degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine was less likely than not related to his in-service back pain complaint documented in March 1968, which occurred five months prior to his separation from active duty. However, the Board found this opinion insufficient to deny service connection for the low back disability as it did not address whether the current condition is related to the Veteran's combat injuries sustained during service.
- Claimed conditions
- chloracne, degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 28, 2010
- Citation
- 1028077
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 1028077.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examinations related to the Veteran's lower back condition and surgical scars are inadequate, necessitating a remand for further evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection of a low back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, finding inadequate medical opinions due to failure to consider all relevant evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to predecisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical opinions and missed VA examinations. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being returned to the RO for further action.
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