The Board denied service connection for low back and left knee conditions, finding that there was no evidence of chronic disabilities in service or during the applicable presumptive period. The VA examiners concluded that the current conditions are more likely due to natural aging processes rather than service events.
The deciding factor: VA examiners determined that the Veteran's current low back and left knee conditions are common age-related degenerative arthritis, not related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back condition, Left knee condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20007045
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 Veteran was granted a 40% rating for his low back condition and a 60% rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, while other claims were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a low back condition, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or event that caused these conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for other specified depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, somatic symptom disorder, alcohol use disorder, left hip condition, left knee condition, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right hip condition, right knee condition, right lower extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, shin splints, left leg, shin splints, right leg, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) for further development.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is granted an evaluation of 70 percent disabling, but no higher. Other claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied or remanded.
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