The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that caused the current condition.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for shin splints affecting both lower extremities prior to February 7, 2021 is also denied due to lack of evidence showing nonunion or malunion of the tibia or fibula with knee or ankle disability.
The deciding factor: VA examiners found that the Veteran's current back disabilities are not related to his service and were likely caused by post-service employment as a mail carrier. They also noted that there is no evidence of nonunion or malunion of the tibia or fibula with knee or ankle disability prior to February 7, 2021 for shin splints.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disability, Shin splints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2022
- Citation
- 22015368
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 22015368.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors and the need for a VA examination.
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