The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the L5-S1 facet was granted service connection as it began during active duty. Service connection for high cholesterol, back disability (other than osteoarthritis), bilateral leg pain, arthritis of joints (bilateral legs), gout, left ear hearing loss, heart condition, hypertension, prostate disability, and depression were denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the L5-S1 facet was found to have first manifested during service. Service connection for high cholesterol was denied as it is not a recognized disability for VA benefits purposes. The remaining issues were remanded due to insufficient evidence or need for further clarification and examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of L5-S1 facet, High cholesterol, Back disability (other than osteoarthritis of the L5-S1 facet), Bilateral leg pain, Arthritis of joints (bilateral legs), Left ear hearing loss, Heart condition, Hypertension, Prostate disability, Depression
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19117505
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 19117505.
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 has remanded the case due to insufficient findings regarding PTSD and depression, requiring a new VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
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