The veteran's Hodgkin's disease is found to have existed prior to service and not aggravated by service. Service connection for the right knee disorder is denied, but a higher evaluation for the left knee disability is granted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that the veteran's Hodgkin's disease was preexisting and not aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hodgkin's disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 1, 2004
- Citation
- 0417768
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 180 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0417768.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, dermal lymphoma, is presumed to be service-connected due to in-service herbicide agent exposure. Accrued benefits are denied as no claim was pending at the time of his death.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for Hodgkin's disease, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor. The claim for restrictive lung disease was remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and various increased rating claims, as well as effective date claims, while remanding the claim for service connection for Hodgkin's disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease. The Board found that the VA did not adequately address the veteran's claimed exposures and symptoms.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.