The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine condition began during his active service and granted service connection for this disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran had complaints of back pain, including lower back pain, during service. The Board found the evidence in equipoise as to whether the current lumbar spine condition arose in service and resolved all doubts in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- L5-S1 herniated nucleus pulposus, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with lumbago and radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161271
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,886 · Granted: 24% (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 19161271.
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 remanded three issues: revising the 1991 and 1993 rating decisions for L5-S1 herniated nucleus pulposus, determining an earlier effective date for left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, and evaluating right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve higher than 20 percent. The issues are inextricably intertwined with each other.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to the receipt of additional relevant evidence after the issuance of the October 2016 and April 2017 Statements of the Case. The AOJ is instructed to consider this new evidence in its first instance.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and entitlement to a TDIU were denied due to failure to report for VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to her service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and cervical strain. The Board has found that the evidence is insufficient to grant higher ratings for these conditions or to establish new service connection for additional conditions such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic headaches. The case is remanded for further development.
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