The Board denied entitlement to service connection for thoracic and lumbar spine disorders as secondary to service-connected shell fragment wounds of the abdomen, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner noted that the veteran's symptoms were more related to his original injury from the shell fragment wound in the right flank area and not directly linked to his thoracic or lumbar spine disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- hearing loss, thoracic spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2003
- Citation
- 0328892
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 0328892.
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 granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a left wrist condition was dismissed due to concurrent election of higher-level review. The claims for an initial compensable rating for bilateral pes planus, and for service connection for hearing loss, neck strain, and dermatitis were denied.
- Dismissed
The claims for service connection for hearing loss and a left knee condition were dismissed due to an untimely notice of disagreement filed more than one year after the October 2022 rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
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