The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for scoliosis and granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability. The Veteran's current conditions are attributed to military service.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran experienced back pain during service, which she attributes to her MOS duties, including heavy lifting. Her condition progressed post-service, leading to a diagnosis of multilevel degenerative disc disease and facet arthropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- scoliosis, multilevel degenerative disc disease, facet arthropathy of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 27, 2023
- Citation
- 23067723
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 23067723.
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 claim for service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for a lumbar spine disability should be remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to deficiencies in the duty to assist, and will require a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's pre-existing scoliosis and/or additional lumbar vertebra clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service and whether any increase in severity during service was due to natural progression.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, scoliosis and compression fracture of T5 and L2, cervical strain, herniation to C5-6, and narrowing at C3-5, and right knee strain. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible reports of symptoms during active duty.
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