The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, including as secondary to neck disability, is granted. The claim for service connection for right knee sprain (right leg condition), including as secondary to the back disability, is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was at least equipoise evidence supporting a nexus between the Veteran's current back condition and his in-service weightlifting, granting service connection on this basis. The claim for right knee sprain was remanded due to insufficient opinion regarding its relationship to the back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disease of the thoracolumbar spine, Lumbar spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19176926
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for lumbar spondylosis and service connection for tinnitus, while denying increased ratings for PTSD and bilateral plantar fasciitis, and denying service connections for other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate effective September 30, 2003.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, namely lumbar spondylosis, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, and intervertebral disc syndrome as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected retropatellar syndrome, arthritis and meniscal strain, right knee.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to determine whether the Veteran's current low back disorders are related to service, including his reports of in-service back pain.
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