The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, to include ankylosing spondylitis. However, the RO denied the claim on the merits due to lack of new and material evidence.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence is against a nexus between the veteran's current back disorder and any incident of active duty, including trauma.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic back disability, ankylosing spondylitis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 22, 2006
- Citation
- 0608222
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 denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a 70 percent rating for PTSD and granted an effective date of May 31, 2004, but no earlier, for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).
- Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed as the Veteran did not express disagreement with any issue decided by the AOJ within the prior year.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for ankylosing spondylitis, finding that the evidence was at least in approximate balance as to whether the Veteran's condition had its onset during his active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for ankylosing spondylitis, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the condition and his military service.
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