The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disability, including degenerative arthritis of the spine, intervertebral disc syndrome, L4 to L5 spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and scoliosis, is presumed to have been incurred in service.
The deciding factor: The August 2015 VA examiner's opinion indicated that it is likely the Veteran did not experience chronic back pain prior to the reported fall from the monkey bars during service. The current disability is considered the same as the one manifest in service, and thus there is a nexus between the in-service disease or injury and the current disability.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, degenerative arthritis of the spine, intervertebral disc syndrome, L4 to L5 spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, scoliosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 21, 2016
- Citation
- 1637066
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1637066.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that remand is needed for the Veteran's claims due to duty to assist errors, including clarification of periods of service and obtaining relevant records. The Veteran will be afforded new medical examinations for each claimed disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to predecisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical opinions and missed VA examinations. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being returned to the RO for further action.
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