The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine has been reopened, and both conditions have been granted.
The deciding factor: New evidence established that the Veteran currently has a diagnosis of degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, which is sufficient to reopen the claim and grant service connection due to continuity of symptomatology since separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, Back condition
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19144705
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition and a TBI, but denied the claim for PTSD as moot. The claims for service connection for a neck condition and back condition were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss but denied service connection for a back condition, left foot disability, right foot disability, and right shoulder condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine as there was no evidence of an in-service incurrence or a relationship to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and in excess of 10 percent for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) to ensure compliance with the duty to assist.
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