Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar disc disease with lower extremity radiculopathy and an increased rating for low back strain, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The deciding factor: VA examiners have provided opinions indicating that the veteran's current lumbar spine degenerative disc disease disability is not related to his military service, while other medical records suggest it may be due to post-service work-related injuries. The VA examiner also found no residuals of the veteran's service-connected low back strain.

Claimed conditions
lumbar disc disease with lower extremity radiculopathy, low back strain
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
May 25, 2006
Citation
0615248

Veterans Law Judge

MARY GALLAGHER

Decisions by this judge: 1,464 · Granted: 14% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

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 0615248.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.