The Board denied service connection for lumbar-spine disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's current condition and his active service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's lumbar-spine disorder was not caused by or aggravated during active service based on the medical records and examination findings.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar-spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23001276
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 Board granted service connection for PTSD, depressive disorder and anxiety disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension (PACT Act), and prostate cancer (PACT Act). The claims for lumbar-spine disorder and obstructive sleep apnea were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar-spine disorder, as secondary to and/or aggravated by service-connected left-lower-extremity varicose veins; increased disability evaluations for left-lower-extremity varicose veins and PTSD with insomnia.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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