The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disorder has been reopened and granted. The appeal for increased ratings for cervical spine intervertebral disc syndrome, bilateral knee osteoarthritis with chondromalacia, right shoulder rotator cuff impingement syndrome, and radiculopathy of the right upper extremity is dismissed.
The deciding factor: New evidence received since the previous denial includes VA and private treatment records that indicate a current diagnosis for a low back disorder. The Veteran's private provider provided a positive etiological opinion linking her current spinal impairment to injuries sustained during an active duty motor vehicle accident in 1993.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disorder, Bilateral hip disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- August 2, 2018
- Citation
- 18123490
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 18123490.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, bilateral knee disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder, finding that the evidence did not show an in-service onset or relationship to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disorder and bilateral knee disorders due to duty to assist errors prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Veteran is not prejudiced as a remand is necessary to correct these errors.
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