The Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and spondylolisthesis, was granted service connection. The other claims for psychiatric disorder, hypertension, sleep apnea, left shoulder disability, and left knee disability are remanded.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records show the Veteran reported experiencing back pain during his deployment in 2004, which is considered a current disability with an in-service incurrence or aggravation of a disease or injury.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- June 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20038986
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 20038986.
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 Board has restored the Veteran's rating for his right elbow condition from 10 percent to 20 percent effective May 5, 2025, finding that the evidence was in equipoise regarding whether there had been improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of January 13, 2020 for the service connection of low back disability and related radiculopathy issues. The Veteran's claims were reopened due to new evidence submitted in January 2020.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examinations related to the Veteran's lower back condition and surgical scars are inadequate, necessitating a remand for further evaluation.
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