The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disabilities, including degenerative disc disease and arthritis, are not related to his military service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or chronicity of symptoms.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA clinicians were more probative than those from the private chiropractor, as they considered the Veteran's in-service treatment records, X-rays, and current literature regarding the relationship between lumbar strain and degenerative disc disease. The Board found that there was no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's service and his current disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2017
- Citation
- 1755470
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 1755470.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to August 14, 2023.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for lumbar spine arthritis and right lower extremity sciatica have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for migraines, lumbar degenerative disc disease with associated lower extremity radiculopathy, and right and left lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection is denied for left hip strain and right hip strain.
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