The Board denied service connection for a low back condition, including as secondary to obesity, finding that the Veteran's current low back condition is not related to her military service and does not meet the criteria for secondary service connection due to her already established non-service-connected obesity.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of chronicity or continuity of the claimed low back condition since service and opined that any current diagnosed back disorder was less likely caused by service, including a motor vehicle accident in 2005. The examiner also noted that the Veteran's degenerative disc disease may have been caused by obesity, which is not service-connected.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 10, 2022
- Citation
- 22027615
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 22027615.
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 Board has granted service connection for a low back condition and right shoulder rotator cuff strain, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a low back condition and an acquired psychiatric disability are dismissed as procedural defects due to the overlapping nature of the appeals.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back condition as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right hip condition, finding that the Veteran's back pain is aggravated by his right hip surgery.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back condition, finding that it was incurred during active duty.
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