The Board found that the Veteran's current upper back disability, including cervical spinal stenosis and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, was not incurred or aggravated by service. The evidence did not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology since service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided an opinion based on review of the claims file and physical examination that the Veteran's upper back condition is less likely than not related to his service in Vietnam due to the long period between discharge from active duty and development of symptoms. The separation examination was negative for any complaints or diagnoses pertaining to the upper back.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back disability, cervical spinal stenosis, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2015
- Citation
- 1519717
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 1519717.
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 case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 40% prior to September 28, 2018. From that date, the rating was increased to 50%. The earlier effective date for TDIU is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for cervical spinal stenosis, right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, and left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy due to new relevant evidence submitted by the Veteran.
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