The Board denied service connection for a back disability, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
The deciding factor: The April 2023 VA examination found the back disability is more likely than not a result of a dead lift injury at the gym in January 2011, rather than an incident during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis, Degenerative disc disease (DDD), L L5-S1 microdiscectomy with L L5-S1 hemilaminotomy, partial facetectomy, and discectomy for HNP L5-S1 level
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 23, 2025
- Citation
- A25046390
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 granted service connection for a neck injury, including degenerative arthritis, IVDS, spinal stenosis, and history of spinal fusion, based on the evidence showing chronicity since service.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of February 25, 2025 for the award of service connection for degenerative disc disease thoracolumbar spine with degenerative arthritis, spinal stenosis, and levoscoliosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for a back condition to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining an appropriate medical examination and associated opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of the claim for service connection for a back disability based on new and relevant evidence, but remanded the issue for further development.
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