The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.
The deciding factor: The current evidence is evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's current back problem is related to service, but the Board resolves any doubts in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, an acquired psychiatric disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2018
- Citation
- 18118709
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 18118709.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, as there are insufficient medical opinions and records. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial rating for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease was denied, and his claims for right knee, left knee, right hand, left hand, GERD, neck disability, and bilateral hearing loss were also denied. The effective date of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted on December 14, 2022.
- Denied
The Veteran's application to revise a November 2001 rating decision, which assigned an initial 30 percent rating for an acquired psychiatric disability due to service connection on the merits, is denied as there is no clear and unmistakable error in the decision.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection of left knee condition, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left hip osteoarthritis, and right hip osteoarthritis is dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction over the August 2021 rating decision. Service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left hip osteoarthritis, and right hip osteoarthritis are granted.
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