The Board has determined that the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder is service-connected due to its pre-existing nature and aggravation during service. The heart disorder claim was remanded, and the psychiatric disorder claim does not meet the criteria for service connection.
The deciding factor: Service connection granted based on a finding of clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder existed prior to service and was aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine disorder, Acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- January 10, 2018
- Citation
- 1801984
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 1801984.
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 appeal is remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain relevant treatment records and provide adequate VA examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left foot condition, right foot condition, cellulitis, right ear hearing loss, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The appeal of the proposal to reduce a 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain was dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and denied service connection for a lower back disorder. The claims for depression, substance abuse disorder, and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss were dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 70 percent for the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder due to another medical condition with depressive features and generalized anxiety disorder, denied a higher rating for his migraine including migraine variants, and denied ratings for other conditions.
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