The Veteran's low back disability is not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing a current disability related to service. The bilateral knee disabilities are pending as new and material evidence has been received, but the relationship to service remains unclear.
The deciding factor: New medical evidence indicates degenerative changes in the thoracolumbar spine and knees, but does not establish a direct link to service or any service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease and Disc Disease of Thoracolumbar Spine, Degenerative Joint Disease of Bilateral Knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 25, 2013
- Citation
- 1320488
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 1320488.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
An effective date of October 9, 2014 is granted for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's low back and bilateral knee disabilities are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for another VA examination.
- Partly granted
Service connection for headaches was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service.,New and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for bilateral hearing loss, but service connection remains denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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