The Board found that the veteran's current chronic back disability is due to natural aging process and not caused by prior injuries, thus denying service connection.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence showed diffuse osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine and spontaneous arthrodesis at L5-S1 with narrowing of the L4-5 vertebral interspace, which were attributed to the aging (degenerative) process rather than a prior injury sustained in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2002
- Citation
- 0212140
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 0212140.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted service connection, and the character of his discharge from service does not bar receipt of VA monetary benefits.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, but denied claims for a chronic disability manifested by chest pains and a headache disorder. Service connection was also denied for a back disability as the Veteran's current condition is not shown to be directly related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's chronic back disability did not have its clinical onset in service or until years later and is not otherwise related to his active service. Degenerative joint disease of the spine was also not exhibited within the first post-service year.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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