The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability and left Achilles tendon disorder, finding that these conditions are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran had symptoms of back pain during service and continued to experience such symptoms post-service. His current back condition is linked to his military duties involving heavy lifting and marching. For the ankle issue, the Veteran reported an Achilles tendon injury in service which has persisted since then.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine (back disability), Left Achilles tendon disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2023
- Citation
- 23065458
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 23065458.
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 left Achilles tendon disorder and a left lower leg disorder, including an Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius muscle disorder. The claim was reopened due to new evidence showing a possible nexus between the disorders and active duty service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's applications to reopen service connection for hypertension, left Achilles tendon disorder, right knee disorder, diabetes mellitus, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), and low back disorder. The claims are now pending on their merits.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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