The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding no evidence of a chronic disease in service or within one year after separation. The VA examiner concluded that the current lumbar spine condition was less likely than not incurred during active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found no credible evidence linking the current lumbar spine disorder to service and determined that the Veteran's statements regarding continuity of symptoms since service were internally inconsistent and outweighed by other contemporaneous lay and medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disorder, degenerative changes, stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19187828
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, diabetes mellitus, and bilateral diabetic neuropathy.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeal for timely filing of an appeal request, dismissing the attempted appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders, including a lumbar spine disorder, left elbow disorder, and others, to correct duty to assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for a lumbar spine disorder due to a need for an additional medical opinion.
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