The Veteran's left hip and lumbar spine disabilities are found to be at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected left ankle disability. Service connection is granted for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's left hip and lumbar spine disabilities are secondary to his service-connected left ankle disability, which causes an abnormal gait resulting in joint stress on the right side of the body.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Hip Degenerative Arthritis, Degenerative Arthritis of Thoracolumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 27, 2024
- Citation
- 24012980
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 24012980.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 claims for increased ratings and an earlier effective date for total disability based on individual unemployability, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or an earlier effective date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for left hip degenerative arthritis, right hip degenerative arthritis, and tinnitus. It also granted a TDIU from September 24, 2021, and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) from that date.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to October 26, 2012, for the grants of service connection for TBI and migraine headaches were denied in a February 2020 Board decision. The Veteran did not appeal these decisions or file a supplemental claim with new and relevant evidence.,The Veteran's December 2022 VA Form 10182 Notice of Disagreement (NOD) does not set forth contended errors of fact or law in the February 2020 Board decision nor does it plead with particularity any such errors such that the NOD can be construed as either a motion for reconsideration or a motion to revise the Board's February 2020 decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, effective June 6, 2017. The Board also granted a TDIU prior to January 1, 2020, based on the combined effects of his service-connected disabilities.
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