The Board found that the Veteran's back, hand, and foot disabilities are not related to his military service or his service-connected sarcoidosis. The evidence does not support a finding of chronic disability during service or for many years thereafter.
The deciding factor: There is no medical or X-ray evidence showing a chronic back disability, hands, or feet disability during or after service. The preponderance of the medical evidence does not support a finding that any current disabilities are caused by his service-connected sarcoidosis or treatment for same.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, Arthritis in the hands and feet
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2009
- Citation
- 0938809
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 0938809.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left ankle and lumbosacral spine disabilities were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under applicable VA rating criteria.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at a 40 percent evaluation, effective from the date of the May 2013 rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU as his service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a retrospective medical opinion to assess the severity and manifestations of the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine disability.
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