The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic thoracolumbar strain is service-connected, as there is at least a 50% likelihood (equipoise) that his current condition was incurred during military service.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran experienced back pain in service and continues to experience it post-service, which supports the finding of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic thoracolumbar strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19165844
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19165844.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for chronic left ankle sprain, right ankle strain, and thoracolumbar strain are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors in the prior examinations.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for various conditions, including chronic thoracolumbar strain, radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, traumatic brain injury with vertigo, and others.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal for both the disability rating and service connection claims has been withdrawn by the Veteran's attorney.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's back disability is rated at 10 percent, and the Board has remanded his claims for increased ratings for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy associated with his service-connected thoracolumbar strain.
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