The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disorder is reopened, and he is granted service connection for degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.,Service connection is also granted for persistent depressive disorder. The compensable disability rating for otitis externa with excess cerumen production is remanded due to lack of recent VA examination records. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is also remanded.
The deciding factor: New and material evidence was submitted, raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,The Veteran's current diagnoses are supported by service treatment records showing complaints of back pain and MRI findings of degenerative changes in his lumbar spine. His persistent depressive disorder is linked to military service based on medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disorder, degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, persistent depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19193820
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,977 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19193820.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a VA examination and medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's low back disorder and bilateral hip disorder are related to his service-connected Crohn's disease.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, skin disorder, tongue condition, right chest costochondritis, and right hand shaking due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's service connection for other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder with persistent depressive disorder, anxious distress, and pure dysthymic syndrome was granted. The appeal for PTSD is dismissed as moot because the issue has been rendered irrelevant by the grant of service connection in another appeal stream.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's persistent depressive disorder, moderate with anxious distress and panic attacks is related to his service in the Republic of Vietnam. The decision grants service connection for this condition.
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