The Board found that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including his right knee, cervical and lumbar spine, bilateral shoulder, arm, hand, leg, head injury residuals, and acquired psychiatric disorders were not incurred or aggravated by service. The preexisting conditions were determined to have existed prior to service and were not aggravated during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's claimed disabilities did not manifest in service and were not caused or aggravated by service, with the exception of his right knee disability which was found to be pre-existing. The other conditions had no direct link to service based on lack of documentation and intervening causes.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disability, Cervical Spine Disability, Lumbar Spine Disability, Bilateral Shoulder Disability, Bilateral Arm Disability, Bilateral Hand Disability, Bilateral Leg Disability, Residuals of Head Injury, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2016
- Citation
- 1620506
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 1620506.
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 Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
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