The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's residuals of herniated disk of the lumbar spine, including degenerative disk disease and lower left extremity radiculopathy, finding that his current condition is due to heavy lifting he performed during military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was found less probative than Dr. A.I.'s opinion, which stated that the Veteran’s chronic back pain and degenerative disk disease are as likely as not due to his in-service heavy lifting.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of herniated disk of the lumbar spine, degenerative disk disease (DDD), lower left extremity (LLE) radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19178807
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 bilateral dry eye syndrome but denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and pelvic floor disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and left ankle disability, finding that the Veteran's lumbar strain pre-existed his entry into service and was not aggravated by service. The claims were also denied as secondary to a service-connected condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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