The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of a back disability, including arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine. The Veteran's current diagnosis is arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and he experienced chronic symptoms in service and continuous symptoms since service separation. As such, the criteria for presumptive service connection have been met.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran injured his back during basic training when a five gallon drum struck him from behind, resulting in 'chronic' symptoms of low back disability in service and 'continuous' symptoms since service separation which were later diagnosed as arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine. The criteria for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b) have been met.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the Thoracolumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2015
- Citation
- 1551791
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 1551791.
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
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