The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar DDD is a result of his in-service strain and grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise, thus granting the benefit of the doubt to the Veteran regarding the nexus between his in-service injury and current disability.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20073227
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 the veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar degenerative disc disease, left and right knee strain with tendinitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The TDIU claim was dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar degenerative arthritis, lumbar DDD, lumbosacral strain, and lumbar IVDS, as well as an increased rating of 50 percent from December 29, 2006 for the right fourth metacarpal fracture.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a neck condition, right knee condition, lumbar degenerative disc disease, and ankle disabilities, as there was no evidence linking them to the Veteran's active-duty service. The claim for balanitis xerotica obliterans is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease to correct a duty to assist error and obtain additional evidence.
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