The Board has denied service connection for lumbar spine, thoracic spine, bilateral hip, neurological disability of upper extremities, and neurological disability of lower extremities as these conditions are not attributable to service or caused by the service-connected right knee disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding that any of the claimed disabilities were incurred in service or caused by the service-connected right knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, thoracic spondylosis, bilateral hip degenerative joint disease, neurological disability of upper extremities, neurological disability of lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- October 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20067413
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral plantar fasciitis, chronic pain syndrome, sciatic radicular pain of both legs, traumatic brain injury (TBI), shin splints of both legs, thoracic spondylosis, right shoulder strain, right wrist strain, acne, and allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board grants service connection for thoracic spondylosis based on the Veteran's reported continuous back symptoms since service and resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a higher rating in excess of the current ratings for various musculoskeletal conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable evaluation for hypertension and granted an increased rating of 20 percent for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease from April 13, 2022. The effective date for the right lower extremity radiculopathy was also granted as May 10, 2016.
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