Service connection for degenerative arthritis of spine is granted.,Service connection for bilateral hip pain, to include secondary to service-connected degenerative arthritis of spine is remanded.,Service connection for sleep apnea, to include secondary to service-connected degenerative arthritis of spine is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's STRs show complaints of low back pain starting in December 2002 until separation in 2004. The post-service medical records also confirm the Veteran’s long history of back pain, leading to a diagnosis of lumbar spine early degenerative disc disease at L3-4 through L5-S1.,The Veteran's STRs and post-service medical records establish continuity of symptomology for his hip pain, with evidence of chronic back pain from degenerative arthritis of spine. The Veteran testified that his current hip pain is related to sciatic nerve issues stemming from service.,The Veteran has a current diagnosis of sleep apnea, diagnosed in 2010 by his treating physician for his lumbar spine condition and treated with a CPAP machine. An opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's sleep apnea was caused or aggravated by his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Degenerative arthritis of spine","secondary_conditions":[]}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral hip pain","secondary_conditions":[]}, {"condition_name":"Sleep apnea","secondary_conditions":[]}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19188879
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 19188879.
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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