The Board has determined that the veteran's current nerve damage of the low back is not related to his service, specifically the spinal procedure and anesthesia performed in 1956. The preponderance of evidence supports this conclusion.
The deciding factor: An MRI showed a herniated disc rather than any connection between the veteran's current symptoms and the 1956 surgery and anesthesia.
- Claimed conditions
- nerve damage of the low back, post-operative residuals of a perirectal abscess removal
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2006
- Citation
- 0637581
Veterans Law Judge
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0637581.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for surgical scarring from the removal of a perirectal abscess and denied service connection for nerve damage of the low back, with radiating pain, as a post-operative residual for the removal of a perirectal abscess.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations. The issues include compensation benefits under the 1151 statute, service connection for melioidosis and antibiotic reaction, and a rating increase for left lower extremity disability.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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