The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of Legionnaires' disease were denied.,Service connection for a neck condition was also denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claim that his Legionnaires' disease or related disabilities are due to care provided at the Pittsburgh VAMC, and concluded it is less likely than not that the additional disability was caused by the VA medical center’s course of treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Neck condition, Residuals of Legionnaires' disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20076654
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 20076654.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine and right hip disabilities due to a duty to assist error. The effective date for DEA benefits is granted as May 1, 2014.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date and higher initial rating for his back disability is denied. The effective date remains March 29, 2021, as the earliest date of claim. An initial rating in excess of 20 percent for the back disability from March 29, 2021, is also denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability and right leg radiculopathy are granted service connection, but left leg radiculopathy is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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