The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disability is not attributable to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical evidence linking the Veteran's current low back disability to his in-service complaints or findings.
- Claimed conditions
- low back degenerative joint disease, low back degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2011
- Citation
- 1119081
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 1119081.
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 low back degenerative disc disease and remanded the claims for a right knee disability, migraine headaches, neck disability, left shoulder disability, and right shoulder disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for low back degenerative disc disease, dry eyes as secondary to right eye pterygium, preglaucoma as secondary to right eye pterygium, and a compensable rating for right eye pterygium due to duty-to-assist errors in obtaining adequate opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's conditions and service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected low back degenerative joint disease, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and posttraumatic stress disorder prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment from July 19, 2004 to October 10, 2004. The Board granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis for this period.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues related to the initial ratings and service connection claims. The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's withdrawal.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.