The Board has determined that the appellant's claimed low back, right knee, and left knee disabilities are not service-connected as they are not shown to be related to his military service or any period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). The appellant's gastritis is also not service-connected.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish a nexus between the claimed disabilities and the appellant's military service, including his periods of ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA. The diagnoses provided do not indicate any chronic conditions that would be presumptively service-connected under VA law.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back Strain, Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine, Right Knee Discomfort, Left Knee Strain, Gastritis and Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 11, 2008
- Citation
- 0830916
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 0830916.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee strains, as well as shin splints, were granted increased ratings. The Veteran also received special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from October 25, 2017 to March 11, 2024.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied. The claims for tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), obstructive sleep apnea, and left knee strain are remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Granted
The reduction of the rating for service-connected left knee strain from 30 percent to 10 percent was not proper, and restoration of the 30 percent rating is granted.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of low back and right knee disabilities due to improper filing deadlines.
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