The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine and finds that there is sufficient evidence to establish a current disability, continuity of symptoms since service separation, and a causal relationship between the Veteran's in-service injury and his current condition. The claim is therefore granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new medical evidence submitted after the March 2004 rating decision established a current diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, and that the Veteran has continuously complained of low back pain since service separation, which was later diagnosed as osteoarthritis. The Board resolved all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2015
- Citation
- 1545014
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 1545014.
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 osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and right ankle disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle condition was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal during his Board Hearing. The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, spinal stenosis, and lumbar-sacral spondylosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further examinations and consideration of service connection claims due to lack of recent evaluations.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for her lumbar spine disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not warrant a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
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