The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left knee strain, residuals of a shrapnel wound of the left leg, and degenerative arthritis of the right knee. The increased rating claim for chondromalacia patella of the right knee is held in abeyance pending further examination. Service connection for a scar of the right patella remains denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence of chronic conditions related to service, including left knee strain and shrapnel wound residuals, and concluded that arthritis of the right knee was not shown to be related to service-connected chondromalacia. The rating for a scar of the right patella remains denied as there is no indication of underlying soft tissue damage or instability.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee strain, residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left leg (including residual scarring), degenerative arthritis of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2006
- Citation
- 0602306
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 Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain relevant treatment records and provide adequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim, to ensure adequate VA examinations are conducted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right knee strain, and left knee strain as secondary to lumbosacral strain. Service connection was also granted for cannabis use disorder as secondary to mental health conditions of PTSD, major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, and TBI. However, the Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and granted a separate disability rating of 40 percent for TBI.
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