The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder is not service-connected as it was not caused by or permanently worsened in severity by a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the current thoracolumbar spine disorder is less likely related to the service-connected right knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19132570
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 19132570.
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 service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and a cervical spine disorder as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current conditions and the Veteran's active duty service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for cervical spine disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder, right shoulder disorder, scars of the face, psychiatric disorder, and traumatic brain injury.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a thoracolumbar spine disorder due to a lack of evidence demonstrating current disabilities under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385, and no nexus between the claimed conditions and military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors, including missing Reserve records and outstanding SSA records.
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