The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral leg and back disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during active service, as there is no evidence of a chronic condition within one year post-service. The VA examinations concluded that these conditions are more likely due to multiple work-related injuries and surgeries after separation.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of a chronic knee condition developing in the years following separation from service, and the examiner opined that the development of degenerative joint disease resulted from the Veteran's multiple injuries and surgeries after separation combined with his age, weight, and physical work for many years.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral leg disability, Back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2017
- Citation
- 1708671
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 1708671.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors and the need for a VA examination.
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