The Board denied service connection for lumbosacral degenerative disc disease, finding that the condition existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The pre-existing lumbar spine disability did not increase in severity during active duty service, thus failing to establish a basis for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160440
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 19160440.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected lumbosacral degenerative disc disease and granted a separate 10 percent disability rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy associated with the same condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent, prior to March 26, 2025, for lumbosacral degenerative disc disease due to insufficient evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy and a TDIU effective April 11, 2023.
- Granted
The Veteran's current diagnoses of lumbosacral degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and radiculopathy are found to be related to his in-service back injuries. The Board granted service connection for these conditions.
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