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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · Granted: 30% (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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to a lack of current disability diagnosis.,For his low back disability, the Board finds that he is entitled to a 10 percent rating based on Diagnostic Code 5242.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and low back disability due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and VA treatment records.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military 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.