The Board found no evidence of current disability with respect to the veteran's hands, knees or right hip. The Board denied service connection for arthritis and disc disease of the lumbar spine, and arthritis of the thoracic spine, hands, knees, and hips as there was a complete absence of competent medical evidence relating these disabilities to any incident, injury or disease of active military service.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service records did not show any chronicity of symptoms for any of these claimed conditions for some 25 years after the veteran was separated from service. There is no evidence of current disability with respect to the hands, knees or right hip.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc and degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, Arthritis of the thoracic spine, Arthritis of the hands, knees and hips
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2004
- Citation
- 0434153
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 0434153.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's post-operative right inguinal hernia has not been shown to be recurrent. The most probative evidence of record reflects that for the period on appeal the Veteran has been shown to be unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran is already in receipt of a separate 10 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 7802 for his residual, scar post-operative right inguinal hernia. A higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7802 is not warranted.,The Veteran's combined evaluation exceeded 40 percent from March 23, 2007, and he meets the schedular requirements for entitlement to a TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's arthritis of the thoracic spine is rated at 40 percent prior to March 11, 2019, and at 20 percent thereafter. The Board has also granted separate 20 percent ratings for RLE and LLE radiculopathy since August 3, 2018. Service connection for left leg restless leg syndrome is remanded as it is claimed as secondary to service-connected arthritis of the thoracic spine.
- Granted
Service connection has been granted for arthritis of the cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, hands, right knee, left knee, migraine headaches, and sinus condition (to include allergic rhinitis).,Prostate cancer has also been granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD, along with his back and knee disabilities, has resulted in a TDIU effective March 30, 2006. The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD effective the same date.
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