The Veteran's current low back disability, including degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy, is considered to have been incurred in service. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether this condition was caused by an in-service injury during his active duty.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current low back disability is found to be related to his in-service injury due to the continuity of symptoms and medical opinion supporting a link between the service-connected injury and the current condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD), Arthritis of the lumbar spine, Radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2012
- Citation
- 1213566
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 1213566.
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 Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability and other disabilities have been granted, including a TDIU based on his inability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar disorder, diagnosed as DDD and a lumbosacral strain, has been granted service connection. The Board found that the disability is related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology since service and concluding that his current disabilities are more likely related to an in-service injury than to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, based on sciatic nerve impairment, is granted with a disability rating of 40 percent effective from March 4, 2023. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, based on femoral nerve impairment, is also granted with a disability rating of 20 percent effective from March 4, 2023.
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