The Board found insufficient evidence to establish service connection for the Veteran's low back condition, as her in-service treatment records do not support a finding of an in-service injury or incident. The respiratory condition issue is marked as 'unknown' due to lack of relevant information.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records are inconsistent with the Veteran's lay statements regarding an in-service assault and resulting injuries, making it difficult to establish service connection for her low back pain.
- Claimed conditions
- low_back_pain, degenerative_disc_disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 11, 2017
- Citation
- 1726482
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1726482.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, including degenerative disc disease and low back strain, had its onset during his active duty service or within one year thereafter. The decision grants service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disabilities, including low back syndrome and degenerative disc disease, are related to service. The criteria for service connection have been met.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of the lower back and therefore, service connection for this condition cannot be granted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the claim for service connection for a low back disability, but denied the claims for right and left knee disabilities due to lack of relevant medical evidence. The Veteran's current lumbago was not related to her military service.
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