The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to insufficient evidence showing that his lumbar spine degenerative disc and joint disease was caused by VA treatment during his June 2009 knee surgery.
The deciding factor: The medical records do not provide sufficient evidence to establish that the Veteran's current back condition is causally related to the intraoperative event of hypertension and physical restraint during his June 2009 total knee replacement surgery at a VA facility.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20048289
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20048289.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, as there are insufficient medical opinions and records. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's initial rating for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease was denied, and his claims for right knee, left knee, right hand, left hand, GERD, neck disability, and bilateral hearing loss were also denied. The effective date of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted on December 14, 2022.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal for service connection of left knee condition, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left hip osteoarthritis, and right hip osteoarthritis is dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction over the August 2021 rating decision. Service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left hip osteoarthritis, and right hip osteoarthritis are granted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a left wrist fracture, bilateral hearing loss, Type II diabetes, bilateral glaucoma, OSA, cervical disc herniation, and other musculoskeletal issues are denied.,Service connection is not established for any of the claimed conditions.
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