The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for ankylosing spondylitis of the thoracolumbar spine and a higher initial rating for residuals of a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to military service or any service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a link between the Veteran's current back disorder and his military service, nor was there sufficient evidence to connect it to any service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- ankylosing spondylitis of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2010
- Citation
- 1010829
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 1010829.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for ankylosing spondylitis of the thoracolumbar spine and cervical spine due to inadequate examination reports and failure to obtain in-service vaccination records.
- Remanded (sent back)
Service connection for ankylosing spondylitis of the thoracolumbar spine is granted. Service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to ankylosing spondylitis of the thoracolumbar spine, is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence regarding his thoracolumbar spine disability and a need for clarification on whether he has ever had unfavorable ankylosis. The cervical spine and headaches claims are also being remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for additional dependency allowance for his spouse was denied as the evidence of record did not show that he had submitted a completed VA Form 21-686(c) within one year of notification, which is required to establish eligibility for such benefits.
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