The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed lumbar spine condition, finding that it did not have its onset in service and is not otherwise etiologically related to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of IVDS or disc herniation at L5-S1 during service and concluded that any current disability was not related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- IVDS, disc herniation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2021
- Citation
- 21063040
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 21063040.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to inadequate examinations and duty-to-assist errors.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's increased rating claims for RLE and LLE radiculopathy have been dismissed.,The Veteran's increased rating claim for lumbar spine disability has been denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's back conditions and her service connection claim. The VA will obtain a new opinion from a qualified examiner.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings, finding that the earliest possible effective date was September 9, 2022.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.