The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed degenerative joint disease of the cervical and lumbar spine is not service-connected as there is no evidence of such conditions in service or within one year post-service, and no medical nexus between current disability and service.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of any injury or disease to the cervical or lumbar spine during service, and no medical opinion linking current degenerative joint disease to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Cervical Spine, Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2005
- Citation
- 0532872
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 0532872.
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 Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial increased rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee degenerative arthritis is remanded due to inadequate examination report.
- Granted
The reduction of the Veteran's lumbar spine and cervical spine disability ratings from 40% to 20% was improper, and the prior ratings are restored.
- Denied
The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine was found to not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating, as it did not result in forward flexion of 15 degrees or less and there was no evidence of favorable ankylosis of the entire cervical spine.
- Denied
The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, and the appeal for an increased rating has been denied. The Board also found that TDIU was granted as of January 16, 2010, but not earlier.
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