The Board finds that the veteran's back disorder and left ankle condition are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of a chronic disability in service or any link to service. The veteran's current conditions were first demonstrated many years after service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical and lumbar spines, and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, initially demonstrated in the 1990s, to an injury in service. The left ankle condition was first noted post-service and does not meet the schedular criteria for a compensable evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disorder, Left ankle injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- May 29, 2003
- Citation
- 0310271
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 0310271.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, PTSD, a right shoulder disorder, and a back disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, neck, back, headache, right ankle, right knee, right shoulder, and right elbow disorders, penile disorder (erectile dysfunction), and sleep apnea, to correct a pre-decisional error by verifying the Veteran's duty status in January 2017 and obtaining additional medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss and remanded the claims for service connection, increased ratings for acne and knee disorders, and pes planus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and evidence collection, as some relevant private treatment records have not been obtained.
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