The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back disorder, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that arthritis did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of discharge. The Board also found conflicting statements from the Veteran regarding when his symptoms began.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion supported by the STRs and post-service records concluded that there was no evidence linking the current lower back disorder to service, including an in-service injury during flight line work.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19180411
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 granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and denied service connection for a lower back disorder. The claims for depression, substance abuse disorder, and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss were dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for urinary frequency. The other claims were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lower back disorder, including lumbosacral strain, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), and bilateral lumbar radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for anxiety, depression, headaches, a neck disorder, an upper back disorder, a lower back disorder, and a left arm disorder as there was no evidence of current disabilities during the appeal period.
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