The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection or an increase in disability rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a direct link between the claimed conditions and service, nor was there sufficient evidence to warrant an increase in disability rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Left knee osteoarthritis and patellofemoral syndrome, Bilateral hip condition, Right index finger injury, Varicose veins of the left leg, Diabetes mellitus, type II, Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in each leg, Cataracts, Diabetic neuropathy of the lower left extremity, Diabetic neuropathy of the lower right extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 22, 2018
- Citation
- 1804009
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 1804009.
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 Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the service connection claims for vertigo, dry eye syndrome, and various bilateral conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding no evidence that his death was related to any injury or disease in service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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