The Veteran's thoracolumbar and cervical spine disorders were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board found that the current conditions are related to non-service-connected low back disorder.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records did not show any chronic back condition during service, and VA examinations have shown no link between service and current spinal disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar Spine Disorder, Cervical Spine Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2018
- Citation
- 1802593
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 1802593.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for thoracolumbar spine disorder and cervical pain but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also granted ratings of 10 percent or 20 percent for several conditions from specific dates.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a 70 percent rating for PTSD, but granted service connection for IBS under PACT Act provisions and remanded other claims.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of the 70% evaluation for PTSD and the 40% evaluation for thoracolumbar spine disorder, effective August 1, 2021, while denying an increased rating in excess of 70% for PTSD and 40% for thoracolumbar spine disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of February 1, 2021, for the awards of service connection and secondary service connection for various disabilities.
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