The veteran's back disability, to include back sprain and degenerative disc/joint disease was not related to his service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing that the veteran's back disability, to include back sprain and degenerative disc/joint disease, is related to his service.
- Claimed conditions
- back sprain, degenerative disc/joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2008
- Citation
- 0815933
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,440 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
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 0815933.
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.
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- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for his back disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy was denied. The Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent, effective May 13, 2019. His right lower extremity radiculopathy is currently rated at 20 percent.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, left ankle disability, and rib disability have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to an in-service injury or event.,There is no evidence showing a current diagnosis of a rib disability at any time during the pendency of the claim.
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