The Board found that the Veteran's current back disabilities are not related to his in-service injury, and denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided a negative opinion concluding that the Veteran's current back disabilities are more likely due to natural progression of aging than to an in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, closed fracture of L1, lumbar radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 24, 2013
- Citation
- 1323649
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 1323649.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, including degenerative arthritis and IVDS. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury during active duty and his continuous symptoms since then.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
- Granted
The Board has granted an increase in PCAFC benefits to Level 2, finding that the Veteran requires continuous supervision or protection due to his cognitive decline and repeated falls.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar radiculopathy and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity are rated at 20 percent effective November 6, 2024.
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