The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, to include DDD and DJD is granted. The appeal for increased ratings for heart disability, urinary leakage, erectile dysfunction, and scar associated with prostatectomy is dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is remanded. A rating greater than 10 percent for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, postoperative residuals, stomach injury is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability, to include DDD and DJD, was incurred in service. After resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, the Board granted service connection for this condition.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- January 11, 2021
- Citation
- 21001801
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 21001801.
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 granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to inadequate examination and reasoning.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
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