The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that any current lumbar spine disorders are not related to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's lumbar spine disorders are not likely related to his active service due to inconsistencies between his reported injuries and the objective medical evidence, as well as the natural pathophysiology of his current diagnosed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine foraminal stenosis, spinal fusion, lumbar radiculopathy, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2023
- Citation
- 23063635
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 23063635.
What this means for you
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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 decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, as there are insufficient medical opinions and records. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for right foot disability status post Mitchell's bunionectomy is granted with an effective date of July 25, 2023.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for left foot disability status post Mitchell's bunionectomy is dismissed as it does not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, including degenerative arthritis and IVDS. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury during active duty and his continuous symptoms since then.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial rating for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease was denied, and his claims for right knee, left knee, right hand, left hand, GERD, neck disability, and bilateral hearing loss were also denied. The effective date of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted on December 14, 2022.
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