The Board denied claims for service connection for degenerative disk disease and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, and degenerative disk disease of the cervical spine due to a lack of competent evidence linking these conditions to service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a nexus between the veteran's current back or neck disorders and any incident of active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disk disease and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, Degenerative disk disease of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2000
- Citation
- 0015817
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 0015817.
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 a disability rating greater than 30 percent for degenerative disk disease of the cervical spine based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's symptoms did not warrant an increased disability rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's degenerative disk disease of the cervical spine prior to January 8, 2019 is currently rated at 20 percent and does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative disk disease of the cervical spine is related to service, specifically an in-service motor vehicle accident. Service connection for this condition is granted.
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