The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine DDD and bilateral knee arthritis are related to service, granting the claims for these disabilities.
The deciding factor: Both a VA examiner and Dr. Charles provided medical opinions supporting the Veteran's assertions of in-service injury and current disability, with Dr. Charles's opinion being more persuasive due to its alignment with the Veteran's service history and his own statements regarding extensive marching during service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD), bilateral knee arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 6, 2012
- Citation
- 1208519
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 1208519.
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 has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD, as well as right and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to the now service-connected lumbar spine condition. The decision is based on a finding of relative equipoise in the evidence regarding whether these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right lower leg disability (claimed as right shin splints) due to insufficient evidence linking his current condition to his active service. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current right leg disability and that any symptoms he experienced were related to bilateral knee arthritis, which is not presumed by VA law.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error regarding the service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, including as aggravated by service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD).
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the Board Appeal request was not timely filed within one year of the rating decision, and no good cause for extension was presented.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.