The Board found that the Veteran's degenerative disease of the lumbar spine was not incurred in or aggravated by service and could not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The claim for service connection was denied.
The deciding factor: The examiner determined that the Veteran's degenerative disease of the L5-S1 disc was most likely related to natural aging rather than a service injury, as muscle strain was diagnosed in service but no objective findings of radiculopathy were noted at that time.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2010
- Citation
- 1010149
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1010149.
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 Veteran's initial 10 percent rating for migraines is granted, while a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. Service connection is granted for pes planus, but not for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine, bilateral knee pain, hypertension, GERD, or sleep apnea and generalized anxiety disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for an evaluation higher than 10 percent for cervical degenerative joint disease prior to March 5, 2019 and entitlement to a total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine condition and his current degenerative disease of the lumbar spine.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim of increased rating for a left knee disability is denied as he withdrew his appeal without good cause. The Board also remanded the issue of TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.
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