The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for degenerative disc disease affecting his thoracolumbar spine, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his duties as an Abrams armor crewman during active service.
The deciding factor: The Board resolved all doubt in favor of the Veteran and found that the cumulative effects of his active service as an Abrams armor crewmember caused his thoracolumbar spine disorder, which was linked to his current complaints of low back pain from sitting and sleeping in a tank.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19187026
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 denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for separate awards of service connection for left knee instability and right knee instability.
- Granted
The Board granted disability ratings of 40 percent for right shoulder impingement syndrome, 30 percent for left shoulder impingement syndrome, rotator cuff tear, and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, 30 percent for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, 40 percent for degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, and 30 percent for right knee patellar chondromalacia with degenerative arthritis, but not higher.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for rhinitis, right hip strain, and left ankle strain but dismissed the claim for sinusitis as moot. The increased rating claim for degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine was denied.
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