The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, claimed as lumbosacral strain, and his degenerative arthritis of the thoracic spine are at least as likely as not attributable to his military service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows a history of back pain during service and subsequent treatment for degenerative changes in both the lumbar and thoracic spines. The examiner concluded that these conditions were caused by or related to the Veteran's military service, including an automobile accident while in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine, Degenerative Arthritis of the Thoracic Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2010
- Citation
- 1044917
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 1044917.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and chronic sinusitis. However, it granted an increased disability rating of 30 percent for left upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's GERD was granted a 60 percent disability rating, and the June 15, 2020 VA Form 10182 for service connection claims was accepted as timely due to good cause shown.
- Denied
The Board denied a higher disability rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, finding insufficient evidence to support an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability was restored to a 20 percent rating effective February 24, 2022. The other issues were denied.
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