The Board finds that the veteran's current low back disability, including DJD and DDD of the lumbar spine, is not related to his military service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's current condition was incurred or aggravated during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the veteran's current back disability was unrelated to service, specifically indicating it was impossible to relate current back pain to service some 40 years ago and highly unlikely he had disc problems of the lumbar spine during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 25, 2006
- Citation
- 0615298
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 0615298.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and an earlier effective date for total disability based on individual unemployability.
- Denied
The Board denied an effective date prior to January 10, 2024, for the grant of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for increased rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, both prior to and from December 2, 2019.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial disability rating of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine.
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