The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating, finding that his back disability was not related to service. The left knee and right ankle injuries were also found unrelated to service.
The deciding factor: The VA determined that there was no evidence linking the veteran's current conditions to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of right ankle injury, residuals of left knee injury, degenerative disk disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2000
- Citation
- 0033179
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 0033179.
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 veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for somatic symptom disorder, left knee osteoarthritis, and headaches. The Veteran was also granted increased ratings of 20 percent for degenerative disk disease of the lumbar spine and 40 percent for status post ligament damage and acromioclavicular repair of the right shoulder with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and acromioclavicular joint degenerative joint disease.
- Partly granted
The veteran's PTSD rating was increased to 70% from December 7, 2009 to April 29, 2021. The effective date for DEA eligibility was granted as of January 28, 2021. However, the request for an earlier effective date for SMC and a higher level of SMC were denied.
- Partly granted
Service connection for tinnitus is granted. All other issues are remanded for further review.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.