The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's thoracic spine disability, including arthritis and degenerative disc disease, to his service or any incident therein. The preponderance of medical evidence did not support a finding that his service-connected low back strain caused or aggravated his current thoracic spine condition.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions were against a direct link between the Veteran's service-connected low back strain and his current thoracic spine disability, including arthritis and degenerative disc disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracic Spine Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0921658
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 0921658.
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.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) from February 1, 2021 due to continued service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the thoracic spine disability, effective June 24, 2024. The Veteran's disability is currently rated 20 percent under Codes 5010-5235 from June 1, 2008 (the date service connection was awarded) and 40 percent from 5235 from June 24, 2024.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to March 28, 2018.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of right shoulder, cervical spine, and thoracic spine disabilities due to a finding that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the January 1992 rating decision.
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