The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar disorder, including degenerative disc disease (DDD), degenerative spondylolisthesis, radiculopathy, and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, was denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or event that resulted in these conditions. The Board found that the Veteran's current symptoms are not related to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran did not experience a back injury during service and that any subsequent lumbar disorder is not linked to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease (DDD), degenerative spondylolisthesis, radiculopathy, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19120172
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (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 19120172.
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, including degenerative arthritis and IVDS. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury during active duty and his continuous symptoms since then.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating, compensable rating, and extension of temporary total evaluation for his lumbar spine disability have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing all claims in April 2022.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for a compensable disability rating for service-connected migraine headaches is remanded due to the need for further evaluation and consideration.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, spinal stenosis, and bilateral lower extremity sciatica have been granted as they are related to his active duty service.
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