The Veteran's recurrent lumbar strain is granted service connection, but his degenerative disc disease, spondylosis and herniated disc of the thoracolumbar spine are denied as not related to service.
The deciding factor: Service records show a history of recurrent back pain during active duty, which continued after separation. However, there was no evidence of significant traumatic injury or arthritis in service, and the Veteran's current conditions are more likely due to aging rather than military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Recurrent lumbar strain, Degenerative disc disease, spondylosis and herniated disc of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19172818
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 19172818.
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
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