The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of his low back and left shoulder disabilities as secondary to a service-connected left knee disability due to lack of medical evidence showing an increase in severity beyond the natural progression of the pre-existing conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no medical evidence indicating that the Veteran’s low back or left shoulder disabilities increased in severity proximately due to or the result of the October 2009 fall caused by his service-connected left knee disability, and thus denied the claims for secondary aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability, Left shoulder disability
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19106811
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 appeal for increased ratings for right and left shoulder disabilities, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a low back disability, residuals of a right foot injury, sinusitis, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis, and sleep apnea as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for osteoarthritis of the right hand and service connection for a left shoulder disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability and arthritis, to include bilateral hips and knees, due to an inadequate VA examination.
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