Service connection for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbosacral spine is granted. The Veteran's current DDD is related to an in-service back injury caused by a hard helicopter landing.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence supports a relationship between the Veteran's current DDD and the in-service back injury, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2025
- Citation
- 25001445
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (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 25001445.
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 remanded the cases for further development and to obtain a new medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's claimed back conditions are secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that further development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for lower back and right hip conditions, as these are related to his right knee disability. The decision also notes that there may be outstanding VA treatment records relevant to the issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his left knee condition, back disability, and individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional examinations and opinions regarding his service-connected right hip arthritis, left hip fracture with minimal functional loss, left knee arthralgia, and lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease.
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