The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and initial disability ratings for bilateral metatarsalgia and hallux valgus left foot, finding that there is no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: There was no in-service injury or disease related to the Veteran's back condition, and the medical opinions did not find a link between his current degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and his service-connected foot disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Arthritis of the Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20000717
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 all claims for increased ratings, except for sinusitis which was granted a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied increased disability ratings for PTSD, bilateral plantar fasciitis and pes planus, TBI, right shoulder strain, SLAP, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity associated with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, right hip disability, and right knee disability as not related to the Veteran's lumbar spine disability or otherwise related to service. The claim to reopen a pinched nerve in the cervical spine with headaches was also denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The denial included initial and increased rating claims for shingles, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy of both lower extremities, and granted an evaluation of 60 percent for shingles from August 12, 2020, as well as a TDIU from May 15, 2014 to August 12, 2020.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's DDD of the cervical spine was granted a 20% rating effective February 28, 2018. His bilateral hearing loss and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine were denied increased ratings. The TDIU issue is remanded.
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