The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of a low back disability and granted it, finding that new evidence supports the reopening of the claim.
The deciding factor: New medical evidence shows a diagnosis related to service, placing the evidence in equipoise with previous opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic strain 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
- June 29, 2016
- Citation
- 1626051
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 1626051.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities, when combined, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since January 1, 2016.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's chronic low back disability did not have its onset during active military service and denied her claim for service connection.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's death due to chronic drug use was not service-connected, as there is no evidence showing a direct link between his military service and the cause of death. The medications prescribed for his service-connected disabilities were considered but did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
- Denied
The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability is manifested by pain and muscle spasm, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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