The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability, arthritis of the lumbar spine, and DDD of the lumbar spine were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The medical evidence does not support a finding that these conditions pre-existed service or developed within one year post-service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability was first diagnosed in May 2008, which is after separation from active duty and more than a year following his last reported incident of back pain during service. The medical evidence does not support a finding of chronic disease or DDD within one year post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, arthritis of the lumbar spine, DDD (Degenerative Disc Disease) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2018
- Citation
- 1805030
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 1805030.
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 has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. Service connection is being remanded for the lumbar spine disability and right knee and calf disabilities.
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