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Granted

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for residuals of a back injury and bilateral shin splints (now referred to as leg disabilities). The claim for residuals of a back injury is granted, with the disability found to be caused by an in-service low back injury.,Service connection is not granted for the left shoulder disability. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the current disability is related to active duty service.

The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided since September 2002 addressed the nexus between in-service injury and current disability, raising reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for residuals of a back injury.,No evidence received since August 1980 is relevant to the claim of service connection for bilateral shin splints (now referred to as leg disabilities).

Claimed conditions
residuals of a back injury, left shoulder disability
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
November 19, 2009
Citation
0944178

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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0944178.

What this means for you

A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.

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