The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a low back strain, to include as secondary to his service-connected shell fragment wound scars of the right flank, abdomen, and back.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's claimed low back disability to his active military service or any service-connected condition. The January 2005 VA examination concluded that the chronic low back strain was not related to the shell fragment wounds.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2009
- Citation
- 0902726
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for a bilateral knee disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, including scheduling an additional VA examination.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chest pain, a gastrointestinal disability, a neck disability, and a bilateral knee disability. The Veteran was also denied a compensable rating for iliotibial band syndrome of the right hip and for right hip limitation of extension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral foot disability, knee disability, ankle disability, cervical degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and cervicalgia, secondary to a service-connected lumbar strain, as well as GERD. The claims of readjudication were also granted.
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