The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for disc herniation of L3-4 and L4-5, claimed as secondary to his service-connected laminal defect of L-5, and for disability of T10-11. The veteran was already receiving a 40% rating for his service-connected laminal defect of L-5 with spondylolisthesis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the veteran's thoracic spine pathology was unrelated to his service-connected lumbar spine condition and concluded that there was no causal relationship between the service-connected disability and the non-service connected disc herniations or T10-11 disability.
- Claimed conditions
- disc herniation of L3-4, disc herniation of L4-5, disability of T10-11
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 6, 2000
- Citation
- 0026824
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 0026824.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
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