The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine with IVDS, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's back disability is related to service.
The deciding factor: The lay statements from the Veteran and N.M. have indicated the Veteran had symptoms during active service, which are competent and credible, establishing a direct link between the current disability and in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), Right hip strain, Left hip strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 22, 2024
- Citation
- A24067746
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 plantar fasciitis on the right and left foot, left and right ankle strain, left and right knee osteoarthritis, and left and right hip strain, all secondary to service-connected back and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities with weight gain/obesity as an intermediate step.
- Denied
The Board denied increased evaluations for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, finding that the current ratings accurately reflect the severity of his disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, dismissed the claim for a thoracic spine disability, and granted service connection for right knee strain, left knee strain and meniscal tear, left hip strain as secondary to a service-connected thoracolumbar lumbar spine disorder, and a generalized anxiety disorder and other specified depressive disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, right hip strain, lumbosacral strain, right knee meniscal tear, and left wrist sprain. The claim for service connection for cervical strain was remanded.
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