The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and evaluations of his bilateral shoulder conditions, finding no evidence that the arthritis or impingement syndromes were incurred in or aggravated by his military service.
The deciding factor: The medical records do not show chronicity of right knee symptoms during service, nor any post-service treatment within a year of separation from service. The veteran's current right knee condition is first noted nine years after separation, and there is no evidence linking the arthritis to his service.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the right knee, chronic right shoulder impingement syndrome with intermittent bursitis, chronic left shoulder impingement syndrome with intermittent bursitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 6, 2000
- Citation
- 0031722
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 0031722.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for arthritis of the left knee and right knee to ensure compliance with a Joint Motion for Partial Remand from the Court.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including residuals of a head injury, bilateral hearing loss, neck disability, gout of the right ankle, unspecified trauma or stress related disorder, tinnitus, and other musculoskeletal issues.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew all pending appeals, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these issues.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea syndromes, arthritis of the left knee as secondary to degenerative changes in the bilateral ankles, and arthritis of the right knee as secondary to degenerative changes in the bilateral ankles. The claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied.
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