The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition was denied as the evidence did not support a finding that his current disability is related to active service.,Service connection for left and right hip conditions were also denied, with the Board finding no current diagnosis of these conditions. The Veteran's contention that they are secondary to his back condition was not supported by the evidence.,The claim for service connection for left and right leg conditions was denied as there is no service-connected disability upon which secondary service connection may be granted.

The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of a back condition, and that any such condition he had in-service resolved prior to separation. The examiner's opinion supported this finding.,There was no evidence of a current left or right hip disability, and the weight of the evidence showed no such conditions existed. The Veteran’s contention that his hip conditions were secondary to his back condition was not supported by the medical records.,The Veteran did not have any service-connected back disorder upon which secondary service connection could be granted. As there is no primary service-connected disability, the benefit of the doubt doctrine does not apply and service connection on a secondary basis must be denied at law.

Claimed conditions

back condition, left hip condition, right hip condition, left leg condition, right leg condition

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

May 19, 2020

Citation

A20008893

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 A20008893.