The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with spinal stenosis, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct link between his current condition and his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no medical records showing continuous care for the Veteran’s lower back symptoms during the years after separation from service, which is considered probative against the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), degenerative disc disease (DDD), lumbar degenerative joint disease (DJD) with spinal stenosis, lumbosacral radiculopathy, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, history of displacement of intervertebral disc, status post L5-S1 laminectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19186167
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 lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, recurrent right and left shoulder rotator cuff tear residuals, right and left total knee replacement residuals, and right and left foot plantar fasciitis and heel spurs.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for restoration of a 40 percent rating for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and a 20 percent rating for lower left extremity radiculopathy as the ratings were restored in an April 30, 2025 Higher-Level Review (HLR) rating decision.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left and right lower extremity radiculopathies, left and right hip pain, right knee degenerative arthritis, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine and intervertebral disc syndrome.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.