The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder (lumbar spine) as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that led to his current diagnoses of degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease. The Board found that the Veteran's current back disorders were not related to any event, injury, or illness during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners concluded that the Veteran's current back disorders (degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease) did not have a direct link to an in-service injury in March 1982 due to insufficient evidence of continuity of symptomatology since service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease, Degenerative Disc Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19166907
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 19166907.
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
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