The Board found clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's lumbosacral disability preexisted service, and was not aggravated by service. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.
The deciding factor: Clear and unmistakable evidence demonstrated that the Veteran's lumbosacral disability preexisted service and was not aggravated by service beyond its natural progression.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral disability
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 27, 2013
- Citation
- 1343167
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 1343167.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for lumbosacral and right knee disabilities due to a failure to obtain adequate secondary service connection opinions regarding these claims. The new opinions must address both causation and aggravation, considering the Veteran's theory that his current conditions are related to his service-connected right ankle disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the issues of rating lumbosacral disability, separate ratings for radiculopathy, and other related matters.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a left ankle disability and lumbosacral disability as there are pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors requiring further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, a bilateral shoulder disability, and a lumbosacral disability due to insufficient evidence.
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