The Board has determined that the Veteran's documented in-service accidents caused any structural changes to his lumbar spine, making him vulnerable to later injury. Therefore, service connection for a low back disorder is granted on a direct basis.
The deciding factor: The expert medical opinion provided by Dr. R. found that there was less than 50% probability that the Veteran's in-service accidents caused structural damage to his lumbar spine, but also noted that the most likely cause of his acute episode of back pain was the stereo lifting episode immediately preceding his 1995 evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2017
- Citation
- 1758839
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 1758839.
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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