The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding that his current back condition is not related to his military service and is due to natural progression of aging.
The deciding factor: VA examiners found no evidence supporting a link between the Veteran's current lumbar spine disorders other than scoliosis and his military service, concluding instead that they are more likely due to normal aging processes.
- Claimed conditions
- scoliosis of the lumbar spine, degenerative disc disease (DDD), degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20073675
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted an initial disability rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, DJD, from December 17, 1997 to June 3, 2022, and the effective date for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy was also set at December 17, 1997. However, a higher rating or TDIU was denied.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for degenerative disc disease (DDD) was dismissed by the Veteran in written correspondence.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sinusitis, right ankle tendonitis, scoliosis of the lumbar spine, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for scoliosis of the lumbar spine, finding that it was aggravated during service beyond its natural progression.
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