The Board determined that the appellant does not have a current back disorder and that if so, it is insufficient to link the disorder to any incident of military service. The right ankle disorder was also found to be unrelated to service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptoms for either condition since service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine, Right Ankle Tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2002
- Citation
- 0208894
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 0208894.
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 denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and chronic sinusitis. However, it granted an increased disability rating of 30 percent for left upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted presumptive service connection for sinusitis due to in-service exposure to fine particulate matter, and increased the rating for right shoulder degenerative joint disease with rotator cuff tendinopathy status post arthroscopic Mumford procedure and right ankle tendonitis.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's GERD was granted a 60 percent disability rating, and the June 15, 2020 VA Form 10182 for service connection claims was accepted as timely due to good cause shown.
- Denied
The Board denied a higher disability rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, finding insufficient evidence to support an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.
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.