The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine, cervical spine, and right knee disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no medical evidence that the Veteran’s current disabilities were related to his military service or parachuting jumps.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine cervicalgia, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20081722
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 Board granted a 30 percent rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right knee instability, and separate 40 percent rating for right knee limitation of extension prior to July 27, 2019.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for lumbosacral strain and denied or remanded the other issues on appeal.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew all pending appeals on April 28, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an opinion addressing the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis, without considering the beneficial effects of medication.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.