The Board has determined that the veteran's lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar degenerative joint disease, and thoracic degenerative joint disease were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of these conditions during service or within one year after service. The veteran did not have any disability of the thoracic or lumbar spine during service, and there is no medical evidence linking his current disabilities to service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar degenerative joint disease, thoracic degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2003
- Citation
- 0312356
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 0312356.
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 appeals for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, lumbar spinal stenosis, and psychiatric disorders were dismissed due to untimely notice of disagreement. The proposed rating reductions for lower extremity radiculopathy were also dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spinal stenosis, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between the condition and his active service or any service-connected disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the claim for lumbar spinal stenosis due to a duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a higher rating for lumbar spinal stenosis to obtain an addendum opinion considering the impact of pain medications on the Veteran's back symptoms.
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