The Board has determined that the veteran's arthritis of both knees was not incurred or aggravated in service and is not shown to be caused by other service-connected disability. The preponderance of evidence on file does not support a finding that the veteran's current knee symptoms are related to his shell fragment wounds during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations conducted did not find any residual pathology affecting the knees, and the most recent examination noted mild degenerative changes in both knees which were not out of the ordinary for someone of the veteran's age. The examiner also opined that the veteran's current knee symptoms are likely unrelated to service-connected shell fragment wounds.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of both knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 6, 2007
- Citation
- 0720275
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 0720275.
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: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for clothing allowances for his bilateral knee braces for calendar year 2013, finding that the braces caused wear and tear to his clothing.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of both knees and ankles is not service connected, as there is no evidence showing it was incurred or aggravated during his active duty service. The claim for secondary service connection due to diabetes mellitus is also denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's arthritis of both knees was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board finds no relationship between the current knee disabilities and his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his left and right knee arthritis, as well as his cervical spine DDD. The evidence did not support a rating higher than 10 percent for any of these conditions.
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