The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic lumbar strain, bilateral knee degenerative joint disease (DJD), right shoulder disorders including osteoarthritis and impingement, and bilateral ankle arthritis. The diagnoses were not deemed to be related to service.
The deciding factor: VA examiners could not resolve whether the Veteran's current conditions are of service origin without resorting to mere speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic lumbar strain, Bilateral knee degenerative joint disease (DJD), Right shoulder arthritis, Bilateral ankle arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 2, 2015
- Citation
- 1537501
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 1537501.
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 has granted service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder disability, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to service and resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals pertaining to effective dates for increased ratings of chronic lumbar strain and LLE radiculopathy, finding that the Veteran did not properly opt into the AMA system.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of VA examination addressing the etiology of the Veteran's right shoulder disorder. The examiner is asked to provide an opinion on whether the current right shoulder disorders are related to service, including physical training and duties as a petroleum supply specialist.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating higher than 20 percent for chronic lumbar strain, and denied other claims.
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