The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and cervical spine, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions were incurred in service.,Service connection was also granted for tension headaches. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and chronic fatigue syndrome have been denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran has current diagnoses of degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, and tension headaches, which were supported by service treatment records indicating treatment for back pain and neck issues during service. The private chiropractor's opinion linking these conditions to military service was considered significant probative value.,For left ear hearing loss and chronic fatigue syndrome, there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria or any competent evidence establishing that the disabilities were incurred in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, Left ear hearing loss, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Tension headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194734
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 19194734.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that there is no nexus between the current disability and active duty service.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial evaluation for tension headaches to include migraines is granted, with a rating of 50 percent effective from May 23, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions are aggravated by his service-connected DDD of the lumbosacral spine. The AOJ is required to obtain new medical opinions addressing this issue.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a compensable (10%) disability rating at any point during the appeal period.
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