The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating or establish a link between his claimed conditions and military service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's right and left hip avascular necrosis to his service or a service-connected condition, nor was there evidence of increased severity in his lumbosacral condition beyond the currently assigned ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbosacral laminectomy, diskectomy and fusion, with degenerative joint disease, Right hip avascular necrosis and degenerative joint disease, status-post right hip replacement, Avascular necrosis of the left hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0900470
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.
- Partly granted
The appeal for higher ratings of sciatic and femoral nerve radiculopathies was dismissed, while the claims for service connection of degenerative arthritis and avascular necrosis of both hips were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the right hip, also claimed as status-post right hip replacement, finding no evidence that the condition began during service or within one year of discharge from service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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