The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, finding that it is related to his in-service back injuries during his first period of active duty service.
The deciding factor: The evidence established that the Veteran's current diagnosis was due to the back injuries he sustained during his first period of active duty service, for which he was honorably discharged.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2023
- Citation
- 23001784
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 845 · Granted: 39% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 23001784.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine was dismissed as a matter of law due to a full grant of benefits. The appeals for left knee and left ankle disabilities are remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar disability and associated radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves are granted with effective dates from June 30, 2010. A 40% rating is assigned for the lumbar disability.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability, including degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, is related to his active service and grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating higher than 40 percent for his back disability is denied. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU from February 25, 2016, to August 14, 2022, is also denied. The effective date for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits is denied.
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