The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, nor proximately due to or caused by a service-connected disability. As such, the claim for service connection was denied.
The deciding factor: Competent medical evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection and the April 2006 VA examiner opined that the low back disorder was not related to his service-connected left ankle disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease, lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2009
- Citation
- 0940734
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 0940734.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine and radiculopathy in both lower extremities, preclude locomotion without the aid of a cane. The Board finds that this meets the criteria for specially adapted housing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional procedural and evidentiary development, including notification under the VCAA and a medical examination to determine if his current asthma and allergic rhinitis were incurred or aggravated during active duty.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 60 percent rating for the veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine with L5-S1 radiculopathy, effective from the date of the initial award. The right eye disability issue remains pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further development and adjudication of his claims, including increased ratings for his service-connected disabilities and secondary service connection for a left hip disability.
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