Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, finding no current disability and that any pre-existing back injury was not aggravated by military service.

The deciding factor: There is a preponderance of evidence indicating the veteran does not currently have lumbosacral strain or degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and his pre-existing back injury did not worsen beyond its natural progression during military service.

Claimed conditions
lumbosacral strain, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
January 16, 2009
Citation
0902085

Veterans Law Judge

Barry F. Bohan

Decisions by this judge: 1,555 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0902085.

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.

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.