The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability. The evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, resulting from an injury during service, was incurred or aggravated by active service. Additionally, the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are at least as likely as not related to his in-service injuries, with Dr. D.B.M.'s independent medical evaluation report providing strong support for this conclusion.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, rheumatoid arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2018
- Citation
- 1803991
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 1803991.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability and a muscle condition due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as the Veteran did not receive notice of scheduled VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee, right hip, and lumbar spine disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability but denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for his left knee disability prior to April 25, 2019.
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