The Board found that a preponderance of the competent medical and other evidence supports a conclusion that the Veteran's lumbar spine DJD condition is unrelated to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The November 2008 examiner opined that it was not likely that the Veteran's current low back disability is related to his military service, based on the lack of medical records from 1981 to '87 suggesting he ever went for back pain and the absence of a history of chronic pain during service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0910809
Veterans Law Judge
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 0910809.
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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to inadequate VA opinions regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hip and back disabilities. The claims are being returned to the RO for further action.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disorders, including lumbar spine DJD and bilateral knee DJD, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since May 12, 2006. Effective dates for TDIU and DEA are granted as of that date.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is currently rated at 40 percent, and the Board finds no basis to grant a higher rating.,The effective date for the 40 percent rating for BLE radiculopathy cannot be prior to October 7, 2022.
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