The Veteran's appeal was denied for various conditions, including his lumbar and cervical spine conditions, knee disorders, foot disorder, migraines, PTSD, psychiatric disorders, shoulder disorders, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, chest tightness, and chronic fatigue. The appeals were not granted as the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under applicable rating schedules.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were denied because his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating schedules for spinal disorders, knee disorders, foot disorders, migraines, PTSD, psychiatric disorders, shoulder disorders, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, chest tightness, and chronic fatigue. The evidence provided by the Veteran was insufficient to warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, osteoporosis of the cervical spine, right knee chondromalacia patellae, left knee chondromalacia patellae, bilateral foot disorder (plantar heel spurs, bilateral pes planus, and bilateral plantar fasciitis), migraine headaches, PTSD, bilateral shoulder disorders (bursitis and osteoarthritis of the shoulders), gastrointestinal disorder (stomach ulcer), respiratory disorder (bronchitis), disability manifested by chest tightness, disability manifested by chronic fatigue
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2015
- Citation
- 1500253
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 1500253.
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.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
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