The Board found that a chronic thoracolumbar spine disability was neither incurred in nor aggravated by service and denied the claim. The acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and MDD, is also denied as there is no evidence of a nexus to service.
The deciding factor: VA medical opinion indicated that any current acquired psychiatric disorder is less likely than not related to service, but did not specifically address the depression noted at separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic thoracolumbar spine disability, acquired psychiatric disability (including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD))
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 18, 2016
- Citation
- 1628581
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 1628581.
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 decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's chronic thoracolumbar spine disability, which is believed to be related to an in-service motor vehicle accident.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for chronic sinusitis with allergic rhinitis, a chronic thoracolumbar spine disability, and a chronic cervical spine disability. The Veteran's symptoms began during his active service and have persisted since.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied, while her TDIU and SMC on the basis of statutory housebound status were granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to the need for retrospective medical opinions regarding the Veteran's back and neck disabilities. The SMC claim is also remanded as it depends on the development of the spine disability issues.
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