The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disorder is related to his service, as he reported an in-service injury and subsequent surgeries. The condition was not caused by any event or illness during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner accepted the Veteran's statement of having injured his back in service but could not find documentation supporting this claim. However, the examiner noted that there were no chronic back problems documented from discharge up to a work-related injury 35 years later, suggesting the current condition is more likely related to non-service events.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 4, 2014
- Citation
- 1434662
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 1434662.
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 restored the Veteran's disability rating for his lumbar spine disability from 40% to 40%, effective August 31, 2020. The reduction was improper due to lack of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbar spine due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a VA examination and another, adequate, VA addendum opinion to properly rate his lumbar spine disability due to insufficient reasoning in the August 2024 VA medical opinion.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
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