The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, finding no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his active military service.
The deciding factor: The March 2007 VA examiner concluded that it is less likely than not that the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with chronic low back pain are related to service due to the long gap in time since discharge from active service and the lack of evidence of a back disability prior to 2003.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine (low back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0906220
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 claim for service connection of low back disability to obtain an addendum VA medical opinion that adequately addresses the Veteran's testimony regarding the etiology of his condition.
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- Remanded (sent back)
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The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
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