The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, did not have its onset in service and could not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The evidence does not support a finding that the current condition is related to active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examination concluded that the Veteran's low back disability was less likely than not incurred in or caused by his period of active duty, as there were no records of complaints concerning the back during service and the first documented medical visit for low back problems occurred more than one year after discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2013
- Citation
- 1314227
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 1314227.
What this means for you
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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 claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disability, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluation and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address the severity of his low back disability, including whether he has experienced incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
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