The Veteran's service connection claims for cervical and lumbar spine disorders are granted. The Board also dismissed the appeals for the issues of entitlement to service connection for crush injuries of the third and fourth fingers of the right hand.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports a finding that the Veteran incurred degenerative disc disease at C3-C4 of the cervical spine and multilevel degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine during active service, with no indication of pre-service or post-service onset. The Board found credible the Veteran's account of in-service injuries and his current symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, degenerative disc disease at C3-C4 of the cervical spine, multilevel degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 26, 2013
- Citation
- 1323870
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 1323870.
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 remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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