The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder and knee disabilities, as well as PTSD. The evidence now shows current diagnoses of these conditions and a link to an in-service stressor.
The deciding factor: The new VA examination report provided current diagnoses for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, which were not present at the time of previous denials. Additionally, the Veteran reported continuity of symptoms since service, raising a reasonable possibility that his PTSD is related to the 1992 in-service accident.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Strain, Left Shoulder Strain, Right Knee Strain, Left Knee Strain
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2014
- Citation
- 1402084
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 1402084.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee strains, as well as shin splints, were granted increased ratings. The Veteran also received special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from October 25, 2017 to March 11, 2024.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder disability, low back condition, bilateral knee disabilities, and left shoulder strain have been granted service connection. The Veteran's low back condition has been increased to a 40 percent evaluation, while the bilateral knee conditions remain at their current 10 percent evaluations.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's right knee disability rating from 10% to 30%, effective July 1, 2025, finding that the reduction was improper and constituted a de facto severance of service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for left ankle, bilateral knee, and left hip disability. The Veteran's initial 10 percent rating for left thigh strain with limitation of flexion is granted.
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