The Board denied service connection for bilateral heel spurs, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and bilateral knee disabilities. The Veteran's claim for bilateral shin splints was not addressed as it is separate from the main issues.,Service connection for a lumbar spine disability was also denied.
The deciding factor: There is no probative medical evidence indicating current bilateral heel spurs, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or bilateral knee disabilities. The Veteran's preexisting conditions were not aggravated during service and there is insufficient evidence to establish the presence of these conditions.,The Veteran did not experience a TBI during active service and his right knee disability was not aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral heel spurs, traumatic brain injury (TBI), bilateral knee disability, bilateral shin splints, lumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165553
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 19165553.
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 Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for a bilateral knee disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, including scheduling an additional VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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