The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for the residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left knee. The claim is therefore granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the additional evidence, including a statement from a former fellow serviceman who witnessed the veteran's shell fragment wound in April 1970 and an Army document awarding the Silver Star Medal for service on April 29, 1970, is sufficient to verify that the veteran sustained the alleged injury in service.
- Claimed conditions
- shell fragment wound of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2002
- Citation
- 0202000
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 0202000.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an examination to determine if there was muscle damage from the shell fragment wounds and whether a separate rating for that condition should be granted.
- Denied
The Board has denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's service-connected left knee disability, currently rated at 30 percent.
- Granted
The Board has granted an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for the veteran's service-connected shell fragment wound to the left knee, Muscle Groups XIV and XV, with retained foreign bodies.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left knee do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, and his PTSD does not warrant an increased evaluation.
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