The Veteran's back disability was not shown to be related to service, and the Board found no evidence of a chronic disease that became manifest within one year post-service. The initial rating for right foot scars was also denied.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing an in-service injury or event resulting in current degenerative disc disease, and there are no records of treatment immediately after service discharge until approximately 10 years later.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease of the thoracic and lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1738850
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 1738850.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current back disability did not arise during service and is not related to any injury or event in service. As such, the claim for service connection for a back disability is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for updated records, a VA examination regarding his back disability, and an updated VA examination of his right foot scars.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal is denied as his service-connected conditions are not rated higher than the current assigned ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The issues are whether he can establish service connection for degenerative disc disease and if his right foot scar warrants an initial compensable evaluation.
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