The Veteran's current back condition is not shown to have had its onset during service or be causally related to any disease, injury, or incident in service. The Board finds the evidence against a direct service connection for his claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing that the Veteran's current back condition was present during service or caused by an event, injury, or illness incurred in service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2018
- Citation
- 1804290
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 1804290.
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 Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, recurrent right and left shoulder rotator cuff tear residuals, right and left total knee replacement residuals, and right and left foot plantar fasciitis and heel spurs.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for restoration of a 40 percent rating for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and a 20 percent rating for lower left extremity radiculopathy as the ratings were restored in an April 30, 2025 Higher-Level Review (HLR) rating decision.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left and right lower extremity radiculopathies, left and right hip pain, right knee degenerative arthritis, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral strain, and spinal stenosis based on the Veteran's in-service back injury and chronicity of symptoms.
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