The Board finds that there is no evidence supporting a secondary service connection for the veteran's bilateral knee, bilateral hip, and right ankle arthritis to his service-connected left ankle arthritis. The preponderance of the evidence does not support this claim.
The deciding factor: VA medical opinions found no nexus between the service-connected left ankle disability and the arthritis of the other joints, and attributed the multiple joint arthritis to non-service-related causes such as the veteran's employment duties with the Postal Service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee arthritis, bilateral hip arthritis, right ankle arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2002
- Citation
- 0202389
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0202389.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for all claims of service connection, including those for bilateral flat feet, thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, right CTS, left CTS, essential tremors, right ankle arthritis, right shoulder arthritis, and left knee arthritis. The appeal of sleep apnea was granted in a July 2024 rating decision.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right lower leg disability (claimed as right shin splints) due to insufficient evidence linking his current condition to his active service. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current right leg disability and that any symptoms he experienced were related to bilateral knee arthritis, which is not presumed by VA law.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal of the proposed reduction in PTSD rating from 70% to 50%, and for service connection claims related to various joints and diabetes mellitus type II, has been dismissed due to procedural issues. The Veteran withdrew his appeals.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to reopen previously denied service connection claims for various joint conditions, including right ankle arthritis, left ankle arthritis, right shoulder pain, left shoulder pain, right knee arthritis, and left knee arthritis. The skin condition claim is remanded.
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