The Board has granted service connection for a back condition secondary to the Veteran's right knee injury, finding that her abnormal gait likely aggravated her pre-existing back condition.
The deciding factor: A May 2021 VA spine examiner concluded that the Veteran's leg length discrepancy and abnormal gait were proximately due to her right knee degenerative arthritis status post anterior cruciate ligament repair, which resulted in an abnormal gait.
- Claimed conditions
- Back strain, Right sciatica
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- October 28, 2024
- Citation
- A24069069
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,135 · Granted: 33% (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 A24069069.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's back conditions and his service. The examiner is asked to consider the Veteran's lay statements about in-service events, injuries, and symptoms.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, finding that the VA examination and opinion were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's complete medical history. The case is now to be reviewed with an addendum VA opinion.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at a 40 percent evaluation, effective from the date of the May 2013 rating decision.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a higher rating for tinnitus, while remanding claims for service connection for an anxiety condition, back strain, bilateral pes planus, left shoulder condition, right knee condition, and dizziness.
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