The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, including chronic lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD), was incurred during his active duty service and is therefore granted service connection.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran had a pre-existing back condition prior to service but failed to provide clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut this presumption. The Board found the overall evidence in equipoise, resolving any doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2018
- Citation
- 18132232
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 18132232.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection was dismissed due to the appellant's death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD), finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by his service-connected left ankle disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's right ankle disability is not deemed to be a result of VA treatment or medication, and his service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and conducting a VA examination as per the October 2018 Board remand.
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