The Board denied service connection for residuals of muscle removal/damage, right side abdomen/stomach with surgical scar removed and transplanted to service-connected left calf.,The Board also denied service connection for a left shoulder condition. The low back condition was remanded due to the need for further medical evaluation.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of residuals of muscle removal/damage, right side abdomen/stomach with surgical scar removed and transplanted to service-connected left calf.,The January 2017 VA examination found no left shoulder condition. The examiner stated that the Veteran reported subjective pain but there was no medical, clinical, or diagnostic evidence to support a left shoulder diagnosis.,After reviewing all records provided for review, including the Veteran's assertion of altered gait due to his left leg condition, there is no medical, clinical, or significant research evidence to support the contention that the Veteran’s low back condition, diagnosed as multilevel degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, was aggravated by a muscle harvest from the back for use in surgery of the left lower extremity.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder condition, low back condition, residuals of muscle removal/damage, right side abdomen/stomach with surgical scar removed and transplanted to service-connected left calf
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19196651
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19196651.
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for sleep apnea has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his request.,Service connection for a back condition is denied as there is no evidence that the condition began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of his low back condition, finding that it is related to his military service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for sleep apnea and a left shoulder condition due to the Veteran's withdrawal of the appeal.
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