The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disability, diagnosed as chondromalacia patella and mild osteoarthritis of the left knee, was not incurred during active service or due to an event, injury, or disease incurred in active service. The preponderance of evidence is against this claim.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no nexus between the current left knee disability and the Veteran's military service, citing lack of objective findings on his post-service October 1985 VA physical examination, normal x-ray of the left knee in 1985, and lack of any documented treatment for over twenty-five years after his separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee chondromalacia patella, left knee mild osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2014
- Citation
- 1403075
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 1403075.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on statutory housebound status due to her service-connected conditions and additional nonservice-connected disabilities, finding that she did not meet the criteria for SMC.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as her eligibility for VA health care benefits and enrollment in a Priority Group higher than Priority Group 8 has already been granted due to the combined disability rating of 50 percent.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee chondromalacia patella is rated at 10 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Board found that the condition did not warrant a compensable rating under Diagnostic Codes 5260 and 5261, as his range of motion was within normal limits with some pain but no instability.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal, and the Board dismissed it.
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