The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, and flatfeet.,The Veteran's claims were not supported by medical evidence showing a direct link between his in-service injuries and current conditions.
The deciding factor: There was no clear and unmistakable evidence that the conditions existed prior to service or sufficient medical evidence linking them to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of lumbar spine, Degenerative arthritis of cervical spine, Flatfeet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19130747
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 a rating in excess of 50 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, as the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of cervical spine, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and scar on neck as secondary to a lumbar spine disability due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and hip conditions must be remanded due to incomplete STRs. The RO will need to search for missing active duty STRs from September 1964 to September 1966, provide notice if they are not found, and obtain a new opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine is currently rated at 10 percent from November 1, 2006 to September 25, 2019 and at 20 percent thereafter. The Board has granted a higher rating of 20 percent for the period after September 25, 2019.
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