The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. Service connection was not established for a gastrointestinal disorder, and the Veteran did not meet criteria for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbar strain prior to July 10, 2019, or for degenerative arthritis, left hip from July 10, 2019.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current gastrointestinal disorder and his military service. For the lumbar strain and left hip conditions, the VA examination findings showed limited range of motion but no ankylosis or other disabling manifestations that would warrant higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal Disorder, Lumbar Strain, Degenerative Arthritis, Left Hip (previously rated as strain)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20054600
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 20054600.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus are all granted service connection.,Service connection for GERD is also granted as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected generalized anxiety disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI residuals and a gastrointestinal disorder were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or causal relationships to service.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a TDIU from October 12, 2016 to November 12, 2018 and from January 1, 2019 to July 22, 2019 due to service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted the Veteran's appeal for readjudicating his claim of service connection for hypertension. The claims for service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder, to include gastritis and peptic ulcer are remanded due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.
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