The Board denied service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, as well as a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD prior to July 20, 2016. The Veteran's current lumbar and cervical spine disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service.,Service connection was also denied for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have a chronic disease of arthritis in service, nor did he develop it within one year after discharge. The examiner noted no evidence of arthritis on x-ray in 1988 and concluded there was no nexus between current lumbar spine disability and service.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"lumbar spine disability","type":"degenerative disc disease"}, {"condition_name":"cervical spine disability","type":"degenerative disc disease"}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20001910
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.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myasthenia gravis based on the Veteran's exposure to hazardous substances during his military service.
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