The Board found that the Veteran's diagnosed osteoarthritis of the knees did not have its onset during military service and is not etiologically related to his in-service knee injuries. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.
The deciding factor: The VA physician concluded that there was no significant bilateral knee injury documented in the service treatment records and that the Veteran's current osteoarthritis of the knees most likely resulted from 'wear and tear' and normal aging process rather than military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disorder, osteoarthritis of the knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2016
- Citation
- 1647370
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 1647370.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder, gout, multiple painful joints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that service connection is granted for fibromyalgia and tinnitus. The remaining claims of service connection for a back disorder, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral hip disorder, and cervical cancer are remanded due to procedural errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection related to back, hip, knee, and foot disorders should be remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA examinations are needed to determine if these conditions are related to service or caused by other service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of his claims for service connection for various conditions has been withdrawn by the Veteran. As a result, all these claims are dismissed.
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