The Board found that the Veteran's current back disorders are not related to his military service and denied his claim.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the history provided by the Veteran regarding problems with his back, treatment of his back, and the specific initial injury were not consistent with a chronic back condition that would be problematic since 1963.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, Intervertebral disc syndrome affecting the sciatic nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 29, 2012
- Citation
- 1222911
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 1222911.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded two issues: entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent prior to March 23, 2009 for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and entitlement to an extraschedular disability rating for the same condition. The Veteran is asked to provide lay statements from individuals who have observed his symptoms during flare-ups and without medication. A retrospective medical opinion is needed to assess the severity of his condition prior to March 23, 2009.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the October 2019 VA examination reports.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the October 2019 VA examination reports.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the September 2019 VA medical opinions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder is being remanded based on new military personnel records showing his deployment to Panama and Honduras.,The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination reports related to ankle disabilities.,The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination reports related to ankle disabilities.,The Veteran's claim for service connection is being remanded due to inadequate VA examination report.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, but denied higher ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine as secondary to achilles tendinopathy of the left foot.
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