The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his previously denied claim of service connection for a low back disability. The evidence now shows that the Veteran's current low back disability is related to an in-service injury, and thus service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the Veteran had continuous low back complaints during service and reports having had low back pain since the 1990s, which supports a finding of service connection based on continuity of symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine (low back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066511
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 a low back disability, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left knee arthritis. The issue of entitlement to service connection for left knee osteochondroma was remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
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