The Board found that the Veteran's chronic low back pain, status post lumbar spine surgery, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current low back pain is not related to his military service due to its onset many years after discharge and lack of evidence linking it to a service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic low back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 5, 2012
- Citation
- 1230355
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 1230355.
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 has determined that the Veteran is not eligible for benefits under VA's PCAFC program as he does not require personal care services due to inability to perform ADLs or need for supervision, protection, or instruction.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development to address issues related to a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to December 21, 2022, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter, for residuals of a fracture of the L2 vertebra with chronic low back pain. The propriety of the separately assigned rating for RLE radiculopathy is also remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for payment of non-VA medical services provided to the Veteran on November 30, 2015, due to lack of prior authorization and because the treatment was not in response to a medical emergency. The VA facility was feasibly available.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability related to an in-service injury or disease.
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.