The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for a back disorder, first lumbar vertebrae compression fracture and spinal cord compression at the second lumbar segment with paralysis of both lower extremities and bowel and bladder dysfunction is denied as his claimed disorders resulted from willful misconduct.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran was likely intoxicated at the time of his fall during service, which led to his injuries. As a result, his claim for service connection is denied due to the proximate cause being his own willful misconduct.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disorder, First lumbar vertebrae compression fracture, Spinal cord compression at the second lumbar segment with paralysis of both lower extremities and bowel and bladder dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 23, 2017
- Citation
- 1734744
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 1734744.
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 Veteran's back disorder is granted a rating of 10 percent, and his chronic kidney disease is granted service connection based on being secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for back, left knee, and left ankle disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee tendinitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a back disorder and a foot disorder due to incomplete or inaccurate factual premises in previous medical opinions. The Veteran's hearing loss claim is denied as his bilateral hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected back disorder and acquired psychiatric disorder have prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU grant.
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