The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the Veteran's current conditions were not related to his active service.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of chronic back disabilities in service or within one year post-service, and the weight of medical evidence did not support a link between service and the Veteran's current conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine arthritis, spina bifida
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19103257
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 an effective date prior to January 1, 2020 for the grant of benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1822 for a child born with spina bifida due to the specific statutory effective date set by The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an opinion addressing the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis, without considering the beneficial effects of medication.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for cervical spine arthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), seizure disorder, and erectile dysfunction has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Partly granted
The Board denied benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1815 for a child born with birth defects and remanded the claim for benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1805 for a child born with spina bifida.
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