The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of the thumbs, back, and left knee are not directly related to service or secondary to his service-connected right knee traumatic arthritis.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current arthritis is causally linked to his in-service injury or secondary to his service-connected right knee condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the thumbs, Degenerative arthritis of the back, Degenerative arthritis of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2013
- Citation
- 1311305
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 1311305.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder, left knee, and right knee due to inadequate VA examinations in August 2020 and January 2021.
- Partly granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another since September 30, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the back and a compensable evaluation for migraine headaches prior to May 3, 2024, due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's knee and cervical spine disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
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