The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability with radiculopathy and bilateral knee/leg disabilities, as well as increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and PTSD. The claim for TDIU was remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of a relationship between the Veteran's claimed conditions and his military service or that his service-connected disabilities warranted an increased rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability with radiculopathy, Bilateral knee/leg disabilities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2009
- Citation
- 0911296
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,555 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0911296.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's low back disability with radiculopathy is related to VA spine surgeries and associated care. The case will be reviewed by a qualified spine surgeon who should provide an opinion on the likelihood of additional disabilities resulting from VA treatment, including negligence or similar instances.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to concerns about potential negligence in the Veteran's VA spine surgeries, specifically regarding screw placement and post-operative complications.
- Granted
The Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to properly consider his claim for service connection for a low back disability with radiculopathy.
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