The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected gunshot wound of the left foot. The issue of entitlement to an increased rating for the gunshot wound remains pending and will be remanded.
The deciding factor: The August 2009 VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current lumbosacral strain is at least as likely as not related to his service-connected left foot disability, resulting in a chronic abnormal gait over many years.
- Claimed conditions
- gunshot wound of the left foot with loss of proximal portions of the third and fourth metatarsals, chronic lumbosacral strain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0948364
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 0948364.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted the restoration of entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA), effective May 1, 2020. The decision was made due to procedural errors in the previous termination decisions.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial disability ratings for chronic lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, and depression have been granted. The Veteran also received a TDIU effective from January 21, 2009.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in fulfilling its duty to assist, specifically regarding obtaining private treatment records from Dr. R and a retrospective medical opinion.
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