The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disorder is not service-connected and denied his claim.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish a direct link between the veteran's current low back disorder and either active service or a service-connected disability, including his right knee disorder. The VA examiner found no relationship between the veteran's low back disorder and any lower extremity disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2002
- Citation
- 0203157
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 0203157.
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 a bilateral hip disorder, manifested by pain and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine. The claim for a hand disorder was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy, but denied increased ratings for intervertebral disc syndrome and other conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disability and denied increased ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity prior to June 7, 2024. The appeal was remanded for other issues.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right shoulder pain/rotator cuff and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, finding that the evidence is at least in approximate balance regarding their etiological relation to active duty.
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