The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbosacral degenerative arthritis with lumbar scoliosis and right knee degenerative arthritis, as these conditions are not found to be related to his active duty service. The claim for anxiety/panic attacks is also denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that the Veteran's current lower back disability and right knee disability were not incurred or aggravated by his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral degenerative arthritis with lumbar scoliosis, right knee degenerative arthritis with acquired genu varum and instability, osteopenia, and effusion, status / post open reduction internal fixation, anxiety/panic attacks
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2026
- Citation
- A26005257
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 A26005257.
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 service connection for anxiety/panic attacks, finding a causal relationship to an in-service incident involving the fuel tank.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to military sexual trauma (MST), including PTSD, is remanded due to procedural errors and the need for additional evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service personnel records and medical records, scheduling a VA examination, and providing additional VCAA notice. The veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety/panic attacks and PTSD are pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including seeking corroboration of a stressor event in Honduras and scheduling an examination to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed psychiatric disorders.
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