The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for post-operative residuals of lumbar spine disorder, finding that there was no causal connection between his current condition and his active service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the Veteran’s currently diagnosed lumbar DDD/DJD, status-post laminectomy, began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- post-operative residuals of lumbar spine disorder, degenerative disc (DDD), joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19151864
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19151864.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence showing the Veteran has a lumbar spine disorder related to service or his service-connected bilateral knee disability. The claim for service connection for post-operative residuals of lumbar spine disorder was denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for post-operative residuals of lumbar spine disorder, diabetes mellitus, an acquired mental disorder (presumably including cognitive disorder NOS and depressive disorder NOS), seizure disorder, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral knee disability. The claim for service connection for a right ear hearing loss was denied as the Veteran's hearing did not meet VA criteria for hearing loss. The claims for an increased rating for bilateral knee disability and entitlement to TDIU were also denied.
- Whole decision: Granted
The veteran's lumbosacral strain with DDD and DJD was granted a 20 percent evaluation from July 8, 1997, to April 10, 2000.,A current evaluation in excess of 40 percent for the service-connected condition is not warranted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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