The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disability is not related to his military service and denied his claim.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded it was less likely than not that the Veteran's claimed back condition was related to his time in service due to lack of medically based, clinical evidence over the presumptive period and early years of civilian work.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Thoracolumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2015
- Citation
- 1516357
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 1516357.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine, cervical spine, and TMJ with osteomyelitis are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The cases will be returned for additional development.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right knee and left knee conditions, hearing loss, tinnitus, and back issues, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment from September 25, 2017, to January 14, 2020. The Board granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU based on these disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his thoracolumbar spine disability and TDIU prior to July 13, 2012 is being remanded due to the need for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability is remanded due to the need for an addendum medical opinion regarding whether his lumbar spine limitations constitute the functional equivalent of ankylosis, including during flare-ups and/or after repeated use over time.
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