The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis and chondromalacia of the knees, including as secondary to service-connected pes cavus, and for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral pes cavus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a clear opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current knee and ankle disabilities are directly related to his time on active duty or if they are linked to his service-connected bilateral pes cavus.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the Knees, Chondromalacia of the Knees, Osteoarthritis of the Ankles
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2011
- Citation
- 1115465
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1115465.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA opinion. The Veteran's MOS as an indirect fire infantryman may have contributed to his current knee conditions.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for reopening his service connection claims for right ear hearing loss, bilateral knee disability to include infectious disease, and acquired psychiatric disabilities. The evidence submitted since the last final denial was found to be cumulative or redundant.
- Denied
The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not begin during service or as a consequence of activities performed during active service. The veteran's current knee disability is not presumed to have been incurred in service, nor is it due to an already service-connected condition. Service connection for these conditions is denied.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's multiple joint pain due to an undiagnosed illness did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation than 20 percent.
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