The Board denied service connection for post-operative residuals, herniated nucleus pulposus, laminectomy, arthrodesis and fusion involving the lumbar spine and arthritis of the spine as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners indicated that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disabilities are not related to his period of service or pre-existing condition, and were more likely due to natural progression over time.
- Claimed conditions
- post-operative residuals, herniated nucleus pulposus, laminectomy, arthrodesis and fusion involving the lumbar spine, arthritis of the spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19108996
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,017 · Granted: 36% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19108996.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for arthritis of the spine, resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded all service connection claims for accrued benefits purposes due to a failure to obtain relevant medical records and associate them with the claims file.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the spine, finding that there is not an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence to support the claim.
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.