The Board found that the Veteran's current mid-back contusion residuals and degeneration of the lumbar spine are not causally or etiologically related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current back disability is not caused by a chest/back injury sustained in service, including the documented May 1989 incident.
- Claimed conditions
- mid-back contusion residuals, degeneration of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2015
- Citation
- 1528679
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 1528679.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all issues on appeal, including the rating for lumbar spine degeneration, chest contusion, and left bicipital tenosynovitis.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability rating and service connection have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals in August 2016.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disorders, including degeneration of the lumbar spine, were not incurred in service and denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to gather additional evidence and conduct examinations for his service-connected disabilities, specifically prostate cancer residuals and degeneration of the lumbar spine. The RO/AMC will attempt to obtain updated treatment records from private physicians and schedule VA examinations.
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