The Board finds that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's current osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine developed as a result of his active service, and grants service connection for this disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found the Veteran's account of recurrent back problems during service to be credible and noted documented in-service injuries. The law provides that if a condition noted during service is not shown to be chronic, then generally a showing of continuity of symptomatology after service is required for service connection if the disability is one that is listed in 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b). Arthritis is one of the listed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1701832
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 1701832.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a back condition and left knee condition due to inadequate factual basis in previous VA opinions, and failure to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding continued pain since service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for a thoracic spine disability, but has remanded the issues of service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, and plantar fasciitis disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his thoracic spine disability was granted, with an effective date of December 28, 2016. The current evaluation is 40 percent.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for postoperative lumbar herniated disc and osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine were denied as there was no evidence to support higher disability ratings under the applicable rating criteria.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.