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Denied

Service connection for bilateral knee disability and low back disability has been denied as the disabilities did not have their onset in service or are not caused by service-connected conditions.,A compensable rating for left leg shortening is not warranted due to the degree of limitation of ankle motion.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral knee and low back disabilities were first diagnosed more than 15 years after separation from service, and there is no evidence linking these disabilities to service or a service-connected condition.,The left leg shortening does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating as it only results in shortening of less than 1.25 inches (3.2 cm).

Claimed conditions
Bilateral Knee Disability, Low Back Disability
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
March 8, 2013
Citation
1307745

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 1307745.

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