The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability is not service-connected, as his current scoliosis and degenerative joint disease are not caused by or aggravated by his left shoulder disability.
The deciding factor: A VA physician concluded that the Veteran's currently shown scoliosis of the thoracic spine was acquired rather than congenital, and did not result from biomechanical stress and musculoskeletal imbalance related to his left shoulder injury. The degenerative changes in his lumbar and thoracic spine were also determined not to be aggravated by his left shoulder impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disability, Scoliosis, Degenerative Joint Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2011
- Citation
- 1146266
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 1146266.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's TDIU and Dependents' Educational Assistance claims have been granted effective from November 23, 2019.,The Board has also remanded the Veteran's increased rating claims for his lumbar and cervical spine conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
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