The Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as Lumbosacral Degenerative Disk Disease (DDD), was incurred during service and is now granted.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a sufficient history of the Veteran’s low back condition, nor an adequate rationale for the conclusion that the Veteran's chronic back condition was not at least as likely as not incurred in or caused by the in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back Pain, Lumbosacral Degenerative Disk Disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19121137
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,011 · Granted: 24% (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 19121137.
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 claims for service connection for left eye condition, bilateral knee pain, low back pain, and bilateral shoulder pain due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's STRs are incomplete and need to be obtained, as well as VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a Total Disability Rating Based on Unemployability (TDIU) prior to February 16, 2021, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and maintaining substantial gainful employment during those periods.
- Denied
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- Remanded (sent back)
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