The Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for lower back pain has been granted. The Board has also remanded several issues related to the Veteran's knee and mental health conditions.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on new evidence received since the last final denial, which provided a current diagnosis of DDD thoracolumbar strain and established a link between this condition and his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back pain, DDD thoracolumbar strain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19154705
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 19154705.
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 decided to remand the case due to a need for a VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's lower back pain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded all issues for further development, including verification of the Veteran's service dates and consideration of any newly identified periods of service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for lower back pain and right shoulder pain, but has remanded the claim of major depressive disorder with suicidal tendency due to a duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection are being remanded due to scheduling conflicts preventing VA examinations, and the claim for a higher rating based on multiple noncompensable disabilities is inextricably intertwined with other pending claims.
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