The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the low back is proximately due to his service-connected left total knee replacement, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports a link between the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability and his current degenerative disc disease of the low back, with multiple private physicians providing opinions that an irregular gait caused by the knee problem contributed to the development of the back condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the low back
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2013
- Citation
- 1339261
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 1339261.
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 a low back disability and cervical spine disability, to include bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has vacated its January 2022 decision, which denied increased ratings for the Veteran's low back disability and right lower extremity nerves. The issues of increased ratings for sciatic radiculopathy and femoral radiculopathy are remanded. A compensable rating for a surgical scar on the back is also remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's neck and low back disabilities are granted as service-connected, with the Board finding that there is at least a 50% likelihood that these conditions were caused by his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for degenerative disc disease of the low back, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy was denied. The case is remanded due to additional development needed.
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