The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of his lumbosacral spine disorder and an increased rating for his cervical spine disorder, finding no evidence to support a nexus between current disorders and active service.
The deciding factor: The VA medical records did not establish a link between the veteran's current spinal conditions and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis/disc disease, lumbosacral spine, Degenerative disc disease, cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 13, 2006
- Citation
- 0617188
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,613 · Granted: 30% (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 0617188.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) and spinal fusion, as well as for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine. The decision is based on evidence showing that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to incidents during active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to address the Veteran's need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities as well as left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Denied
The Veteran's cervical spine disability, left shoulder strain, and radiculopathy of the upper extremities were all denied ratings in excess of their current assigned ratings.
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.