The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was found to have manifested within one year after his separation from service, and thus is presumed to be related to his military service. The Board granted service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was confirmed by x-ray in July 2015, which occurred shortly after his separation from active duty service (July 2014). Given that the arthritis manifested within one year of discharge and there were compensable symptoms such as pain on movement, the Board found it reasonable to conclude that the condition is related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19129064
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is related to an in-service bicycle accident.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted a 30 percent rating, while the lumbar and lower extremity radiculopathy claims are denied. An earlier effective date for right lower extremity radiculopathy was granted, and TDIU based on single service-connected disability is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine to correct a duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, neurological impairments of the upper extremities, and dismissed the TDIU claim as moot.
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