The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for thoracolumbar spine disabilities in March 2010. The new evidence received since that decision is considered duplicative and does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.
The deciding factor: The newly submitted evidence is entirely duplicative of previous records and does not present a new theory of entitlement or trigger VA's duty to assist.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar spine disabilities
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2016
- Citation
- 1647947
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 1647947.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, radiculopathies, a bladder disability, headaches, a left knee disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral conjunctivitis. The Board also granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for increased evaluations of his service-connected thoracolumbar spine disabilities and associated radiculopathy is being remanded due to procedural defects and the need for a retrospective medical assessment.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities are service-connected as they arose from in-service injuries, including combat operations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
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