The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disorder and right leg sciatica, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions. The Board also found that arthritis could not be presumed as it did not manifest within one year of discharge from active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions were based on the lack of continuity of symptoms and a negative MRI, indicating that any current low back disorder is more likely due to natural progression rather than service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disorder, right leg sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2016
- Citation
- 1635781
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 1635781.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, skin disorder, tongue condition, right chest costochondritis, and right hand shaking due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that side effects from prescribed medications contributed substantially and materially to his accidental motorcycle collision resulting in fatal injuries.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for dermatitis/eczema, sleep apnea, a psychiatric disorder (including MDD and PTSD), hypertension, COPD, low back disorder, and prostate cancer are all granted. The Board found that the evidence supported these determinations based on direct service connection.
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