The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disorder is not attributable to service, was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral inguinal floor repairs, recurrent right-sided hernia, or bilateral hernia scars, and was not manifest within one year of separation from service. As a result, the claim for service connection for a low back disorder has been denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current low back condition is less likely than not related to his military service, including the history of recurrent low back pain identified in the May 1977 separation document. The examiner also concluded that it was less likely than not that the Veteran's lumbar spine condition was related to or caused by his bilateral hernia repair.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2017
- Citation
- 1702120
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 1702120.
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.
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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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