The Board found that the veteran's degenerative disc disease was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a back injury or disease during service, and there are no records showing the development of degenerative joint disease within one year post-service. The veteran's self-reported medical history did not indicate any significant problems with his back prior to filing this claim.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease, L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 9, 2006
- Citation
- 0623906
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 0623906.
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 granted a 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability since September 26, 2024.
- Dismissed
The appeal to reopen the previous denial of service connection for lumbosacral strain is dismissed as the benefit sought has been fully granted.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral strain, and spinal stenosis based on the Veteran's in-service back injury and chronicity of symptoms.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease, entitlement to TDIU, and special monthly compensation due to the need for additional development.
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