The Board has determined that there is no current disability of the left leg due to a shell fragment wound, and the preponderance of evidence does not support a nexus between service-connected conditions and post-traumatic arthritis, left knee, with instability and degenerative joint disease, left ankle.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a current disability related to a shell fragment wound in the left leg, and the Board finds that there is insufficient evidence to establish a connection between any current disabilities of the left knee or ankle and service.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic arthritis, left knee, instability and degenerative joint disease, left ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 25, 2004
- Citation
- 0413322
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 0413322.
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's service-connected left knee and right shoulder disabilities, along with compensation benefits awarded under 38 USC § 1151 for a right bicep detachment during shoulder surgery, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment from December 22, 2011 to December 11, 2016.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for the veteran's left and right knee disabilities but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip osteoarthritis and right hip osteoarthritis as secondary to the Veteran's now service-connected knee disabilities, but denied service connection for a variety of other conditions including bilateral ankle, shoulder, foot, mood disorder, tinnitus, hyperlipidemia, and knees.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral foot and ankle conditions to correct a duty to assist error, requiring medical opinions on their relationship to the Veteran's service.
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