The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disability is not related to his active duty service and denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner noted that there was no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's in-service injury and his current low back disability, as evidenced by the lack of complaints or treatment records after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2016
- Citation
- 1601917
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1601917.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete records and inadequate VA opinions. The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder, psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), and hypertension are all being reviewed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The case is remanded to obtain outstanding private medical treatment records and reschedule a VA examination for the Veteran's back disability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's degenerative disc disease and lumbosacral strain are found to be at least as likely as not related to his in-service back injury, leading to the grant of service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for DDD of the thoracolumbar spine and peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve are being remanded due to insufficient examination findings. The case will be returned for further evaluation.
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