The Board granted service connection for thoracolumbar sprain, finding it to be related to an in-service back injury.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinion provided by the physician assistant was found to be more probative than the VA examiner's negative nexus opinion due to its reliance on specific facts of the Veteran's case.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 4, 2025
- Citation
- A25104347
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 705 · Granted: 38% (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 A25104347.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding the VA examination relied upon for the current disability rating. The Veteran requests an increased rating based on flare-ups causing additional functional loss.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and restored the 40 percent rating for thoracolumbar sprain, effective June 1, 2024, while denying an increased rating. The Board also remanded a claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for thoracolumbar sprain and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) as the evidence did not support a higher rating during the appeal period.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues, including a right foot condition, right knee condition, migraine, and thoracolumbar sprain.
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