The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the basic eligibility requirements for VA non-service-connected pension benefits due to his discharge from service due to character concerns, and there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service injury/illness linking any claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims are denied as he did not serve during a period of war and was discharged from active duty due to character concerns. There is no competent medical evidence showing an in-service injury or disease, nor does the record demonstrate continuity of symptomatology since service for any of the claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Right-sided radiculopathy located at L5
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 7, 2011
- Citation
- 1121905
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 1121905.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine and right hip disabilities due to a duty to assist error. The effective date for DEA benefits is granted as May 1, 2014.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date and higher initial rating for his back disability is denied. The effective date remains March 29, 2021, as the earliest date of claim. An initial rating in excess of 20 percent for the back disability from March 29, 2021, is also denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability and right leg radiculopathy are granted service connection, but left leg radiculopathy is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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