The Board has granted service connection for low back degenerative disc disease, finding that the Veteran's current condition was present during her active duty from November 2003 to May 2004 and is not related to any pre-existing conditions. The claim was reopened due to new evidence submitted since the August 2005 rating decision.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was an in-service diagnosis of degenerative disc disease, which manifested during the Veteran's active duty period from November 2003 to May 2004. The private X-rays dated in April 2004 noted this condition and were not present at the time of her initial service entry.
- Claimed conditions
- low back degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109503
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19109503.
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 low back degenerative disc disease and remanded the claims for a right knee disability, migraine headaches, neck disability, left shoulder disability, and right shoulder disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for low back degenerative disc disease, dry eyes as secondary to right eye pterygium, preglaucoma as secondary to right eye pterygium, and a compensable rating for right eye pterygium due to duty-to-assist errors in obtaining adequate opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's conditions and service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues related to the initial ratings and service connection claims. The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's withdrawal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evaluation of the Veteran's low back disability, including lack of range of motion measurements in weight bearing and non-weight bearing conditions.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.