The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and an increased rating, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen a claim for residuals of gonorrhea, and that the arthritis of multiple joints was not related to his service.
The deciding factor: The evidence presented since the June 1979 RO decision is not new and material, and therefore, the service connection claim for residuals of gonorrhea is not reopened. The veteran's service-connected left knee disability does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent under the applicable criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of gonorrhea, Arthritis of multiple joints (aside from service-connected left knee and right hand disabilities), Osteoarthritis of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2008
- Citation
- 0816236
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for higher initial ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right and left knees, and left ankle strain are remanded due to inadequate VA compensation examination reports.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination to address the inadequacies of previous examinations and obtain any relevant private treatment records.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the left and right knees, limitation of extension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the right knee and osteoarthritis of the left knee due to a need for another VA examination.
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