The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and found that a current disability (degenerative arthritis) is present. However, there is no established link between this condition and an in-service injury or event.
The deciding factor: The July 2015 VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's low back pain resolved during service and that symptoms of degenerative arthritis were not noted until 2011, over two decades after his separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Arthritis of the Thoracolumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20011012
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 20011012.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD qualifies for a TDIU and SMC, while other conditions are rated appropriately. The appeal is denied for higher ratings in several cases.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and service connection due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding functional ankylosis and aggravation of obstructive sleep apnea by service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to August 24, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine is denied as he does not meet the criteria for a disability rating greater than 40 percent from November 4, 2021. The case is remanded due to additional development needed.
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