The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology and concluding that his current condition is not related to an in-service injury.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the in-service injury did not cause the Veteran’s current low back disability due to the lack of medical care for low back pain several years after the incident, and the presence of degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis now present in his condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine, Spinal stenosis, Adhesive arachnoiditis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19182831
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), and foraminal stenosis based on a finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine to obtain a new medical opinion that considers an in-service injury after appropriate efforts are made to obtain the appellant's service treatment records.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, bilateral neuropathy below the hips, and a skin disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a neck injury, including degenerative arthritis, IVDS, spinal stenosis, and history of spinal fusion, based on the evidence showing chronicity since service.
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