The Board denied service connection for a chronic lumbar spine disorder because there was no evidence of a diagnosis in service or within one year after service, and the weight of the evidence is against a finding that the condition has existed continuously since service.
The deciding factor: There was no objective medical evidence of a chronic lumbar spine disorder until four years after separation from active service, and the Veteran did not have any back injuries in service resulting in arthritis within one year of separation.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lumbar spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19183728
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 service connection for a chronic lumbar spine disorder as there was no evidence of a causal relationship between the current disability and an in-service injury, and no continuity of symptomatology since service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various musculoskeletal disorders and granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic lumbar spine disorder, chronic cervical spine disorder, chronic right shoulder disorder, chronic left knee disorder, and chronic right knee disorder. The evidence did not show a diagnosis of these conditions during or within one year after the Veteran's separation from active service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for chronic right middle finger, left hand, right hand, headache, lumbar spine, and right knee disorders have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or link to service.
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