The Board denied service connection for right hip arthroplasty, right knee arthroplasty, left knee arthroplasty, multilevel spinal degenerative disc disease, and left hip arthritis as they are not related to the veteran's active duty service.
The deciding factor: Based on a review of the record, examining the veteran, and interviewing him, the VA examiner opined that there was no evidence in the record pointing to a nexus between service and the relevant disabilities and that there was not any suggestion in the recognized medical literature of a link between exposure to the cold and arthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- right hip arthroplasty, right knee arthroplasty, left knee arthroplasty, multilevel spinal degenerative disc disease (claimed as a low back condition), left hip arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0904364
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.
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- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right hip arthritis and a TDIU as of June 8, 2020, while denying increased ratings for sciatica, left hip arthritis, and bilateral hearing loss.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the left and right foot hallux valgus with osteoarthrosis, left and right ankle disabilities, and left and right hip arthritis as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, continuous symptoms since service, or a relationship to service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's left hip arthritis, limitation of flexion of the left hip, left elbow strain, and right elbow strain.
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