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Whole decision: Denied

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee condition, a bilateral leg condition, and a bilateral shoulder condition. The claim for diabetes mellitus was not adjudicated as it is related to an issue that was not about service connection.

The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence linking the current diagnoses of knee conditions or shoulder conditions to service. The veteran's arthritis was diagnosed many years after discharge, and there are no records showing a diagnosis within one year of separation from active duty.

Claimed conditions
Bilateral Knee Condition, Diabetes Mellitus
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
August 5, 2008
Citation
0826181

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 0826181.

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.

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