The Board found that the evidence does not support a conclusion that there is an etiologic relationship between the veteran's service-connected right knee disability and his claimed left heel spur, chondromalacia of the left knee, or degenerative joint disease in the lumbar spine.
The deciding factor: The VA physician concluded that the likelihood of the veteran's left knee, left ankle, and low back maladies being caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right knee condition is well below the 50% probability threshold.
- Claimed conditions
- left heel spur, chondromalacia of the left knee, degenerative joint disease in the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2006
- Citation
- 0614193
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,377 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0614193.
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: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chondromalacia of the left knee, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within the presumptive period after service. The Board also noted that her medical discharge from service was due to pes planus and not any left knee condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his combined schedular ratings did not meet the threshold requirement for consideration of TDIU. The case was remanded multiple times and ultimately denied again.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the lack of a VA examination and opinion regarding his claimed conditions. The Board finds that additional development is necessary to determine if there is a link between the Veteran's current disabilities and his active service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including residuals of a right forearm burn, left and right shin splints, chronic disability manifested by right toe numbness, back and right hip disabilities as well as left and right heel spurs. The most probative evidence shows that these conditions were not present during or due to her military service.
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