The Board denied the claim for service connection of a bilateral hip disorder as secondary to a service-connected lower back disorder, finding that there was no in-service incurrence or aggravation of the hips and insufficient evidence linking the current hip condition to the service-connected back disorder.
The deciding factor: The medical examiner concluded that the Veteran's hip complaints are related to minimal pathology of mild degenerative disc disease (DDD), which is already service-connected, thus not providing a new basis for secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hip disorder, lower back disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19192274
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 19192274.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and denied service connection for a lower back disorder. The claims for depression, substance abuse disorder, and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss were dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disorder with radiculopathy of the lower extremities and bilateral hip and knee disorders due to the need for VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for urinary frequency. The other claims were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for onychomycosis (bilateral toenail fungus) and remanded the claims for GERD, chest pain, and an acquired eye disorder.
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