The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back disability, finding that there was no evidence of arthritis in service or within one year after service and concluding that his current osteoarthritis did not manifest until more than a year after separation from active duty.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence reflects that the Veteran did not have arthritis in service and such disease did not manifest until more than a year after his September 1980 separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2010
- Citation
- 1004060
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 1004060.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for major depressive disorder, finding it to be etiologically related to the Veteran's active service. The claims for service connection for a left hip disability, lower back disability, and cervical spine disability were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lower back disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition had its onset during his service and has progressively worsened since separation.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD, effective March 8, 2023, but no earlier. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for lower back disability, right shoulder disability, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) was denied due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.
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