The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine condition, finding that there was no evidence linking his current disability to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no credible evidence linking the Veteran’s current back problems to his active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20010395
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 20010395.
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 Veteran's service connection claim for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome is granted based on a finding of continuity of lumbar spine pain symptoms since service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 40 percent rating for incomplete paralysis of the left sciatic nerve and denied a higher rating, while remanding service connection for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity.
- Denied
The Board determined that the severance of service connection for PTSD, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, radiculopathy, left lower extremity, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), and tinnitus was proper due to clear and unmistakable error in the initial award.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for restoration of higher ratings and service connection for hypertension, finding that the evidence did not support an improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.
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