The Veteran's back disability, diagnosed as degenerative changes, is not related to service including any injury sustained during qualifying periods of service in the National Guard and the Reserves. Therefore, his claim for service connection for a back disability is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have a chronic disease like arthritis that was shown in service or within one year after service, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptoms after discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative changes in the back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005730
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
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