The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back injury as there is no credible evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to his back during active duty training or reserve training.
The deciding factor: The lay statements regarding the in-service injury are not credible due to inconsistencies and lack of contemporaneous medical records supporting the Veteran's account.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19192606
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 19192606.
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 low back injury, groin injury, arthritis (claimed as rib cage injury), and left side nerve damage (claimed as side injury) due to a lack of evidence supporting the claims.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a low back injury and secondary service connection for a low back disability, as well as a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for residuals of a low back injury is granted. The appeal regarding PTSD was remanded, with the initial rating denied and the subsequent rating after October 2, 2015, also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal requires additional development due to incomplete records and inadequate opinions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain relevant medical records, complete the Veteran’s VA Vocational Rehabilitation file, identify any workman’s compensation claim filed by the Veteran, and gather information about who placed him in a wheelchair and transported him to the Emergency Room.
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