The Board has determined that the Veteran's current back disorder did not have its onset during service or within a year of discharge, and is not related to any in-service injury. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's back disorder is related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no medical evidence linking the current low back disability to service, and noted that the Veteran's separation examination was normal with no chronic conditions of the back diagnosed in service. The private examiner also concluded that the Veteran's current symptoms are not causally related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1631464
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 1631464.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's back disability is rated at 60 percent, the maximum under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The Board found that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating due to lack of unfavorable ankylosis or additional functional loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain missing VA treatment records and for further development, including arranging for the Veteran to undergo additional examination if appropriate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new examination is required to determine if the Veteran's back disability is related to service.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute substantially to his death.
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