The Board found that the Veteran's lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities are not related to his military service, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.,Secondary service connection was also denied as there is no evidence of a direct relationship between the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability or left shoulder disability and his current spinal conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found that the Veteran's lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities were not caused by his military service, and instead attributed them to age-related changes and post-service activities.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the thoracolumbar spine, Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 1, 2017
- Citation
- 1719448
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 1719448.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examiner's opinion regarding whether his service-connected disabilities result in loss of use and if so, whether he requires aid and attendance without considering such disability/ies. The Veteran also needs to be considered for SMC R1 based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his DJD of the thoracolumbar spine is being remanded due to a need for additional medical opinion regarding the functional impairment associated with his condition, without considering the beneficial effects of medication.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date, a higher rating for DJD of the right hip with limitation of rotation and adduction, and higher ratings for DJD of the thoracolumbar spine.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine and a rating in excess of 10 percent for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity prior to June 3, 2022.
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