The Board found no evidence of a chronic underlying back disability to account for the veteran's complaints of pain in service, and denied his claims for low back disability. For left ulnar neuropathy, the Board concluded that there was sufficient medical evidence indicating its current condition is consistent with the diagnosis made during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the mild degenerative changes observed on X-rays were more likely a result of the veteran's progressive and excess weight gain rather than an in-service injury or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, left ulnar neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2006
- Citation
- 0635860
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 0635860.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, right hip condition, left hip condition, low back disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or illness related to these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Board granted an increased rating of 20 percent for left ulnar neuropathy, finding that the Veteran's condition more nearly approximated moderate incomplete paralysis.
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