The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a lumbar spine disability and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was not sufficient evidence to establish a nexus between his in-service injury and his current disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no actual documentation of complaints of a back injury in the Veteran’s service treatment records and opined that the single indication of back symptoms in service was insufficient to demonstrate either the severity or chronicity of this condition.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative disc disease status post lumbar spinal fusion, lumbar myofascial strain, lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome (bilateral sciatic)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- August 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18130370
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 18130370.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar myofascial strain is rated at 40 percent since July 10, 2009. Effective January 4, 2021, the Veteran's radiculopathy of the right sciatic nerve is rated at 20 percent; effective December 14, 2016, the left sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated at 40 percent; and effective March 28, 2021, the right femoral nerve radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent. The Veteran's left femoral nerve radiculopathy remains at a 30 percent rating throughout the period on appeal.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for a higher rating and earlier effective date for left heel laceration residuals was denied. The claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, lumbar myofascial strain, and respiratory conditions were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating for left knee condition, right knee condition, lumbar myofascial strain, asthma, and status post left heel laceration residuals, including scar. Additional development is required to obtain private medical records and provide a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lumbar myofascial strain is currently rated at 20 percent prior to September 3, 2020 and the Board has remanded for further development. The right eye macular scar remains rated at 10 percent.
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