The Board found that the veteran does not have a chronic sinus disorder, but did find service connection for patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee with retropatellar click and patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee. The veteran's bilateral hand disorder was not found to be related to service. Cluster headaches were rated at 30% under old criteria, while the residual scar from appendectomy was rated at 10% under both old and amended skin disorders criteria.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show a chronic sinus disorder during or after service. Patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee with retropatellar click and patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee were found to be related to service, while bilateral hand disorder was not shown to have its onset in service.
- Claimed conditions
- sinus disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, bilateral hand disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- February 14, 2005
- Citation
- 0503856
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,613 · Granted: 30% (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 0503856.
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
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The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right knee disorder is related to his parachute jumps during service.
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