The Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar degenerative disc and joint disease is granted, as the evidence shows that his disability had its onset during active duty.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records show the Veteran was diagnosed with a chronic lumbar spine sprain in-service, and he reported ongoing back pain since then. The Board found this sufficient to establish service connection due to the onset of the condition during active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative disc and joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19129935
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (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 19129935.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's attempts to appeal rating decisions due to untimeliness of the appeals.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection of a neck condition was dismissed. The veteran's rating for thoracic strain, lumbar degenerative disc and joint disease, and stenosis was restored to 40 percent. A 10 percent rating for bursitis in the right hip was granted. The claim for sleep apnea was remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc and joint disease is rated at 20 percent, the maximum schedular rating for this condition. The ratings for his right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy are denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar degenerative disc and joint disease as secondary to his service-connected left foot pes planus with left foot scattered osteoarthritis, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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.