The Board finds that the Veteran's DDD of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy is at least as likely as not related to a disease or injury in service, and grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows instances of back pain during service and credible lay testimony from the Veteran regarding his ongoing symptoms since service. The Board finds that these elements are sufficient to establish a nexus between the current DDD and service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2012
- Citation
- 1208210
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 1208210.
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 decided that further development is necessary to determine if the Veteran's lumbar spine condition is secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's low back disability with radiculopathy is related to his service, specifically combat boot road marches and physical fitness training.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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