The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is not due to any incident of his active duty service and therefore, denied the claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current low back condition was not due to his in-service back sprain and noted that it is typical for individuals with chronic back pain to consider the first episode of back pain as the cause of their issues. The initial episode is not necessarily related to a later chronic condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease with very mild grade I spondylolisthesis, L4-L5 (low back disability), Right hip osteoarthritis, Residuals of cellulitis of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2018
- Citation
- 1825358
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 1825358.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations for his right hip osteoarthritis, left hip osteoarthritis, and right knee osteoarthritis with shin splints.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a bilateral leg condition, and left lower extremity radiculopathy but granted service connection for right hip osteoarthritis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected back disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and remanded claims for cervical strain, left hip osteoarthritis, right hip osteoarthritis, right knee strain, and obstructive sleep apnea due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the restoration of a 10 percent rating for radiculopathy, right lower extremity (sciatic nerve) associated with lumbar strain DDD and remanded several other claims.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.