The Veteran's claim for arthritis of the joints, excluding bilateral knee arthritis is denied as there is no evidence that these conditions began during service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's claim for a back disability is denied as there is no evidence that this condition began during service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.
The deciding factor: Service connection requires a present disability, an in-service incurrence or aggravation of a disease or injury, and a causal relationship between the present disability and the in-service event, injury, or disease. The evidence does not support finding that arthritis of the joints (excluding bilateral knee arthritis) began during service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.,Service connection requires a present disability, an in-service incurrence or aggravation of a disease or injury, and a causal relationship between the present disability and the in-service event, injury, or disease. The evidence does not support finding that the back disability began during service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the joints (excluding bilateral knee arthritis), Back disability, Right ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20061317
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 20061317.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 10, 1997, for a 10% disability rating for his right ankle disability is denied as there was no CUE in the previous decisions.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
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