The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for post-operative lumbar fusion with spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis, finding no competent medical evidence to support a link between his current back disability and active military service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing a connection between the veteran's current lumbar spine disability and his in-service injury or any other incident of service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a low back injury, post-operative lumbar fusion with spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2002
- Citation
- 0215558
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 0215558.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral strain, and spinal stenosis based on the Veteran's in-service back injury and chronicity of symptoms.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for spinal stenosis and denied service connection for an enlarged prostate, including due to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on either incapacitating episodes or unfavorable ankylosis.
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