The Board finds the effective date for service connection of bilateral knee chondromalacia patella is April 20, 2009, as this was the date VA first received a request to reopen the claim. The Veteran's earlier September 2000 claim with the VFW CSO was not considered due to non-receipt by VA.
The deciding factor: The effective date for service connection is determined based on when VA receives the claim, and there is no provision in law or regulation allowing an earlier effective date based on a reopened claim unless it is due to clear and unmistakable error (CUE) or receipt of additional relevant service department records. The Veteran's September 2000 claim was not received by VA.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee chondromalacia patella
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2017
- Citation
- 1712588
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 1712588.
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 Veteran's asthma is granted a 30% rating, effective October 4, 2019. The increased ratings for left and right knee chondromalacia patella are denied. A TDIU is granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen her claim for service connection for bilateral knee chondromalacia patella, finding that new and material evidence was submitted. The Board also determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of patellar chondromalacia is related to her in-service knee pain.
- Granted
The Veteran's back disability, including spondylitic bulging disc disease of the lumbar spine and lumbago, is granted as service connected. The rating for bilateral knee chondromalacia patella remains at 10 percent.
- Denied
The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected bilateral knee condition did not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation for any period on appeal.
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