The Board granted service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease, resolving all doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that a current back disorder is related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The private examiner's opinion supported by documentation indicates the Veteran's low back pain began with a lifting injury during service, which more likely than not caused his current lumbar degenerative disc disease.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25044413
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 a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc disease, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the claimant.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease, finding no evidence of a nexus between the condition and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and lumbar degenerative disc disease to allow VA to obtain potentially relevant records from Florida VA facilities and clarify dates and locations of periods of incarceration.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a higher rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease and service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, as secondary to the back disability.
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