The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's current lower back disability is a residual of his service-connected injury. Therefore, the claim for service connection for residuals of a lower back injury during service is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence is evenly divided on whether the current lower back disability is related to the Veteran's service-connected injury, thus invoking the doctrine of reasonable doubt.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disability, lumbar strain, lumbar degenerative disc and joint disease, herniated disc
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19116248
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 19116248.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for further development, including obtaining new medical opinions and examination reports to address the issues of service connection and increased ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations and TDIU due to missing records.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral pes planus, lumbar strain, and left knee strain. The initial rating period from March 5, 2024, was denied for allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lower back disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition had its onset during his service and has progressively worsened since separation.
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