The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease (back disability) due to the Veteran's credible and consistent lay statements of back pain from in-service injury until post-service diagnosis. The decision is based on a finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's back disability had onset in service.
The deciding factor: The Board found the Veteran's lay accounts sufficient to warrant service connection, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2026
- Citation
- A26012212
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 A26012212.
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 back disability was previously rated at 20 percent prior to April 21, 2017 and is now rated at 40 percent after that date.,Radiculopathy in both lower extremities remains a pending issue for further evaluation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU, finding that he was not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities prior to June 8, 2006.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.