The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed upper spine disability is not service-connected as it did not manifest during or within one year after service, and there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut the presumption of soundness. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the current condition is related to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's reported injury in 1972 was not documented at the time or during his service, and there is no medical evidence linking the current upper spine disability to service.
- Claimed conditions
- upper spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 25, 2011
- Citation
- 1127749
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 1127749.
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.
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for eye, skin cancer, head, upper spine, and backside disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered additional development due to incomplete records and the need for a VA examination of both shoulders.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's request to reopen his claims for service connection for residuals of a right knee injury and an upper spine disability was granted. The claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for recurrent right foot strain is denied as there is no evidence of an earlier pending claim.
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