The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine is found to be related to his period of active duty service from March 2002 to March 2007, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the Veteran developed degenerative disc disease during his third period of active duty service and that it is at least as likely as not caused by or a result of military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2011
- Citation
- 1142699
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 1142699.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Granted
The Veteran's back condition, which includes degenerative disc disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine, is granted a disability rating of 40 percent from January 23, 2012 to May 30, 2013. This decision resolves an earlier denial by the Board.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine, finding that there is no credible evidence linking his current condition to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate since August 10, 2017 due to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability. Prior to this date, SMC was denied as his other service-connected disabilities did not combine to reach a rating of 60 percent.
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