The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine was caused or aggravated by service-connected right knee disorder. The claim for secondary service connection for left leg shortening as well as other issues are remanded.
The deciding factor: The August 2003 VA joints examination did not find any relationship between the veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and his service-connected right knee disorder, and thus denied the claim for secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, left leg shortening
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2006
- Citation
- 0635975
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 0635975.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's current disability and his active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension, an increased rating for a stroke and stroke residuals, and an increased rating for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine from February 20, 2013 to January 22, 2020, exclusive of a convalescence period. The other claims were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to October 20, 2019, as the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
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