The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral knee osteoarthritis and hearing loss, do not render him unemployable as he is still capable of performing sedentary work.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and private opinions indicate that the Veteran's knee conditions prevent him from engaging in physically demanding jobs like police work but allow for sedentary positions due to his previous training as a police officer.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, patellofemoral osteoarthritis, bilateral, patellofemoral osteoarthritis of the right knee, patellofemoral osteoarthritis of the left knee, instability of the right knee secondary to osteoarthritis, instability of the left knee secondary to osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- August 20, 2012
- Citation
- 1228581
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 1228581.
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 Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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