The Board has granted service connection for a lower-back condition, left-knee condition, and scar on top of the head. The Veteran's current conditions are found to be aggravated in service.
The deciding factor: The STRs show an increase in frequency and severity of lower-back pain during service, establishing aggravation by service. Lay statements from the Veteran's wife and brother support his claim for a left-knee condition. A STR entry shows a head injury with a scar on top of the head during service.
- Claimed conditions
- lower-back condition, left-knee condition, scar on top of the head
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19154009
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (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 19154009.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's left-knee condition, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic knee condition in service and that the current condition is more likely post-service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee conditions due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and an earlier effective date for special monthly compensation.
- Partly granted
Service connection is granted for left-elbow, left-knee, and left-shoulder conditions.,Service connection is denied for anxiety disorder.
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