The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a lower back disorder, finding that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the April 1996 rating decision. The RO rejected the reopening of the claim due to lack of new and material evidence.
The deciding factor: The veteran failed to provide specific information regarding any errors or omissions in the evaluation of the evidence presented at the time of the April 1996 rating decision, which is required for a valid claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE).
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2001
- Citation
- 0117953
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 0117953.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and denied service connection for a lower back disorder. The claims for depression, substance abuse disorder, and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss were dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for urinary frequency. The other claims were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lower back disorder, an upper back and neck disorder, and migraine headaches based on the evidence showing that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lower back disorder, including lumbosacral strain, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), and bilateral lumbar radiculopathy.
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