The Board found that the veteran had not submitted new and material evidence to reopen his claim of service connection for a back disorder, including degenerative arthritis of the cervical and lumbar spine with degenerative disc disease at L5-S1.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a link between the veteran's current back disorders and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, degenerative disc disease at L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2000
- Citation
- 0000288
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 0000288.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to June 16, 2014, as the evidence did not show that he was precluded from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, as there is no current disability. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for allergic rhinitis and remanded the other claims for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, left shoulder, and bilateral plantar fasciitis. The appeal was also granted to reopen a claim for service connection for bilateral hip disability.
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.