The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received, and to that extent only, the reopening of the claim for service connection for a back disability is granted. The Veteran's back disability (including osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease) was found to be secondary to his service-connected left anterior cruciate ligament repair.
The deciding factor: The new evidence includes VA treatment records that showed diagnoses of osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease, which were not previously considered in the prior denial. The Board found this evidence sufficient to reopen the claim as it relates to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claim for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, osteoarthritis (OA), degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2018
- Citation
- 18157253
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 18157253.
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 Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for a back disability, endometriosis, thyroid condition, and chronic fatigue syndrome due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial. The claims are now considered on their merits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete service treatment records and a need for additional VA examination. The Veteran's back disability is being reviewed again with new evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for back, hip, and lower extremity disabilities due to a lack of VA examination and outstanding treatment records. The Veteran's current diagnoses and lay statements will be considered in determining if his conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's adenocarcinoma of the colon is granted as secondary to his service-connected other specified trauma and stressor related disorder to include alcohol use disorder. The back disability claim is remanded for further development.
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