The Board has granted service connection for a lower back disability, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability. The evidence shows worsening of the Veteran’s symptoms and limited motion of his back.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's current back disability was aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability due to an altered gait resulting from the knee arthritis, which led to a protective and antalgic gait in the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disability, sciatica
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20081556
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 granted service connection for a lower back disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition had its onset during his service and has progressively worsened since separation.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeals for service connection due to untimely filings.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD, effective March 8, 2023, but no earlier. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for lower back disability, right shoulder disability, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) was denied due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.
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