The Board has found that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's currently diagnosed spondylosis of the lumbar spine is caused by his service-connected left knee disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a low back disability secondary to service-connected left knee disability is granted.
The deciding factor: The positive nexus opinion from Dr. H.S., combined with the credible lay statements and medical literature provided in support of the Veteran's claims, created a reasonable doubt that was resolved in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylosis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2018
- Citation
- 1817098
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 1817098.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sciatic radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, effective April 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to obtain opinions regarding whether the Veteran's left ankle ganglion cyst, spondylosis of the lumbar spine, knee strain, and acromioclavicular joint arthritis are caused or aggravated by his service-connected chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome.
- Dismissed
The VA proposed reducing the appellant's disability rating for spondylosis of the lumbar spine from 40 percent to noncompensably disabling, but this proposal was not finalized and thus the appeal is dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete development related to the Veteran's lumbar spine surgery and increased rating claims. The AOJ is instructed to obtain missing medical records from the Campbell Clinic, validate the VA Form 21-4142, and then readjudicate both issues.
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