The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition to include a herniated disc of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine as secondary to his service-connected costochondritis of the right ribs. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the Veteran’s current back conditions to his military service or to his service-connected costochondritis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided negative opinions regarding direct service connection and also stated that it is less likely than not that the Veteran's spine disabilities are related to his service-connected costochondritis of the right ribs, and that there was no evidence of aggravation beyond natural progression of the Veteran’s back disabilities that is related to his service-connected costochondritis of the right ribs.
- Claimed conditions
- back condition, herniated disc of the cervical spine, herniated disc of the thoracic spine, herniated disc of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19171230
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 19171230.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for sleep apnea has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his request.,Service connection for a back condition is denied as there is no evidence that the condition began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to predecisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical opinions and missed VA examinations. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being returned to the RO for further action.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation and service connection was denied due to a late filing of the Board Appeal request.
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