The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disorder, finding that there was no evidence of chronicity or continuity of care for the condition while in service and within one year after discharge. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish secondary service connection due to his right and left knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners determined that the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder is less likely than not incurred or caused by active duty service, with the opinion being based on the absence of chronicity or continuity of care for the condition during service and within one year after discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2023
- Citation
- 23059723
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 23059723.
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 Board has determined that the initial ratings assigned for psoriatic arthritis of the upper and lower extremities, as well as service connection for a cervical spine disorder, need to be remanded due to incomplete evidence. The Veteran's periods of active duty for training (ADT) and inactive duty for training (IDT) must be confirmed, and all relevant medical records should be obtained.
- Denied
The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder is rated at 20 percent prior to September 9, 2020 and 20 percent thereafter. The rating for GERD remains at 10 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for thoracolumbar spine disorder, right lower extremity and left lower extremity neurological disorders, and hypertension due to potential in-service exposure. The AOJ is required to develop these issues further.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to an evaluation for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and service connection for a psychiatric disorder, which may be related to the Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.
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