The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee and left shoulder disabilities are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service. The Board found that arthritis was not noted during service within the meaning of section 3.303(b), and that any current disability is unrelated to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion concluded that the Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis is less likely than not related to his military service, as there were no documented manifestations of a right knee disorder in service or within one year of separation. The Board found the contemporaneous records more probative than the Veteran's lay statements.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the right knee, Rotator cuff tear of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 30, 2017
- Citation
- 1736233
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 1736233.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for higher initial ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right and left knees, and left ankle strain are remanded due to inadequate VA compensation examination reports.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination to address the inadequacies of previous examinations and obtain any relevant private treatment records.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the left and right knees, limitation of extension.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
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