The Board found that the veteran's back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not related to a disease or injury of service origin. The Board also noted that degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine may not be presumed to be related to service, and the current back disorder does not meet the criteria for secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: The veteran's claimed back disorder was not shown in service, and there is no competent evidence linking it to a disease or injury of service origin. The Board also found that the current back disorder does not meet the criteria for secondary service connection as it is not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- back disorder, lumbar discogenic disease, bilateral lumbar radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2006
- Citation
- 0618110
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 0618110.
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.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeal for all service connection and rating issues, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these matters.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for pes planus (flat feet) and remanded several other issues, including service connection for various disorders and increased ratings for the right knee. The Board granted a 20 percent rating for right knee instability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, back disorder, and neuropathy as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for further development and verification of any additional periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA.
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