The Board denied service connection for left hip avascular necrosis and intervertebral disc syndrome, finding no evidence that the conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active duty.
The deciding factor: There was no demonstration of a nexus between the Veteran's left hip disability and his periods of active duty or ACDUTRA, nor any evidence linking the lumbar spine condition to service or a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left hip avascular necrosis, status post hip replacement, degenerative disk disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2009
- Citation
- 0909919
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including left knee degenerative joint disease, right knee degenerative joint disease, thoracolumbar spine degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease, major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, avascular necrosis of the left hip, and sleep apnea, all as secondary to service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for somatic symptom disorder, left knee osteoarthritis, and headaches. The Veteran was also granted increased ratings of 20 percent for degenerative disk disease of the lumbar spine and 40 percent for status post ligament damage and acromioclavicular repair of the right shoulder with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and acromioclavicular joint degenerative joint disease.
- Partly granted
The veteran's PTSD rating was increased to 70% from December 7, 2009 to April 29, 2021. The effective date for DEA eligibility was granted as of January 28, 2021. However, the request for an earlier effective date for SMC and a higher level of SMC were denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied as the evidence did not support higher ratings or establish service connection.
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