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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied service connection for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of the lower right extremity, finding that there was no direct or secondary service connection based on the evidence presented.

The deciding factor: The Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to arthritis as it did not manifest within one year of discharge. There is also insufficient medical evidence linking his current conditions to service.

Claimed conditions
degenerative disease of the lumbar spine, rheumatoid arthritis (claimed as degenerative disease of the lumbar spine), radiculopathy of the lower right extremity
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
December 27, 2017
Citation
1760392

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 1760392.

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.

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