The Board found that the Veteran's right and left knee disorders are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The current diagnoses are attributed to non-service-connected conditions such as fibromyalgia.
The deciding factor: VA examiners concluded that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease was more likely due to age and post-service employment rather than service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of Right Knee, Degenerative Joint Disease of Left Knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2012
- Citation
- 1206645
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 1206645.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's right knee condition is rated at 20 percent disabling, effective August 31, 2022.,The Veteran's scars are currently rated at 20 percent disabling, also effective August 31, 2022.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee condition, finding that it is secondary to her service-connected left knee disability. The evidence shows that the Veteran injured both knees in 1999 and continued to experience pain despite treatment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal requires remand due to duty-to-assist errors in previous VA examinations and evaluations. The issues of increased ratings for left knee disability, a compensable rating for left knee scar, service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, and TDIU are all remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted with a disability rating of 70 percent, effective October 17, 2017. Service connection for Degenerative Joint Disease of Right Knee and Left Knee is also granted.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.