The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, including levoscoliosis and degenerative joint disease (DJD), finding that there was no evidence of aggravation beyond normal progression during service and insufficient medical evidence linking current DJD to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's DJD is less likely than not incurred in or caused by his service, due to lack of a diagnosis within one year post-service and obesity as a contributing factor.
- Claimed conditions
- levoscoliosis, degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19182628
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19182628.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome and levoscoliosis has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the pendency of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for initial ratings of her left shoulder strain and cervical spine disability due to new evidence or further clarification from the AOJ.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder disability, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability was granted, with the Board finding that his current disabilities are related to his in-service diagnoses of sacralization and pseudoarthrosis.
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