The Board found no evidence to support a connection between the veteran's current low back disability and his military service, including any period of active duty. The most persuasive medical opinion was against the claim.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions were not in favor of a nexus between the veteran's current low back disability and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative changes of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 23, 2006
- Citation
- 0618636
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 0618636.
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 granted service connection for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected degenerative changes of the lumbar spine and increased the disability rating for the lumbar spine to 20 percent effective August 18, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a back disability to verify the Veteran's period(s) of active duty for training (ACDUTRA), inactive duty for training (IDT), and/or active duty for special work (ADSW) from September 2013 to August 2021, and to obtain a VA examination.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, as secondary to a service-connected lumbosacral strain with spinal stenosis and spondylosis.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection for a low back disability, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability as there is no credible evidence of an in-service injury or disease that caused these conditions.
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