The Board found that the Veteran's low back disorder is not related to his service-connected right foot, left knee, and right ankle disabilities.
The deciding factor: VA medical opinions were obtained which concluded that the Veteran's lumbar spine pain was due to degenerative aging process rather than being secondary to his service-connected right big toe injury and degenerative changes.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease/degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1751798
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 1751798.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability and associated radiculopathy are being remanded for further evaluation as the current evidence suggests a worsening of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete information and need for further examination regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, which could affect his ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar spine disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative disc disease/degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is rated at 40 percent from November 25, 2008 to January 12, 2010. His neurologic impairment of the left lower extremity associated with the lumbar spine disability is also rated at 20 percent during this period.
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