The Board found that a back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service, arthritis of the spine may not be presumed to have been incurred in service, and a back disorder was not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability. The simple chip fracture of the right foot did not meet the criteria for a 10% rating.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided evidence that the current back disorder is unrelated to service or a service-connected disability, and the simple chip fracture of the right foot does not warrant an increased rating.
- Claimed conditions
- back injury, arthritis of the back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2004
- Citation
- 0402619
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 0402619.
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 service connection for the Veteran's back injury, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran. The other claims were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent rating for hypopigmented macules and denied service connection for hypercholesterolemia, while remanding several other claims for further development.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease and back injury, left lower sciatica, and right lower sciatica was dismissed as the appeals were not timely filed.
- Dismissed
The veteran's requests to switch dockets and appeals for service connection were denied as untimely, with no good cause shown.
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