The Board has denied the veteran's request to reopen his previously denied claim of service connection for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracic spine, finding that no new and material evidence was submitted.
The deciding factor: No new and material evidence was presented to support a reopening of the veteran's previously denied claim of service connection for DDD of the thoracic spine.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2008
- Citation
- 0827207
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 0827207.
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 has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracic spine is related to her service. The Veteran contends that her current condition is a result of heavy lifting during her time as an Air Passenger Specialist/Supervisor, which she claims caused her back pain since service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the VA examination conducted in December 2019 did not comply with the remand directives and is therefore remanded for another examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected thoracic degenerative disc disease.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a separate disability rating for radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities as an objective neurological abnormality of his service-connected thoracic spine DDD, finding no evidence of diagnosed radiculopathy and that any peripheral neuropathy is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected thoracic spine DDD.
- Granted
The Veteran's DDD of the thoracic spine is granted as a result of it manifesting to a degree of at least 10% within one year of service separation, and he had active service for more than 90 days. The T-8 fracture preexisted service but did not aggravate during service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.