The Board found clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's left knee disability existed prior to his active duty service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current left knee disability was aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: There is clear and unmistakable evidence showing that the Veteran had a patella fracture in high school, which he reported as a preexisting injury prior to entering service. The VA examiner opined that his fall during active duty service did not aggravate this preexisting condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee patellofemoral syndrome, left knee degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2014
- Citation
- 1441348
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 1441348.
What this means for you
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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 service connection of a left knee disability, finding that it is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected back and sciatica disabilities. The evidence did not support a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to assess the severity of his left knee disability, including without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
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