The Board found that the Veteran's chronic back disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and arthritis may not be presumed to have been so incurred, for the purpose of receiving accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: The VA determined that the Veteran's low back condition is a congenital defect that pre-existed his entry into active duty, with no inservice superimposed disease or injury, and degenerative joint disease was not shown within one year of service separation.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic back disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 6, 2013
- Citation
- 1318465
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 1318465.
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 remands the issues of whether there was clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in prior rating decisions that denied service connection for various conditions, as an SOC has not yet been issued.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied a higher disability rating for the right ankle and service connection for right ear hearing loss and pulmonary lung disability. All other issues were remanded for further evaluation.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of chronic back disability due to a duty-to-assist error in the October 2003 VA examination. The Veteran's claim is pending and will be reconsidered with an updated medical opinion addressing causation and aggravation.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for anemia due to submission of new and relevant evidence. The remaining issues are remanded for further review.
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.