The Board is unable to determine the exact cause of the Veteran's service-connected heart disorder, but it has permanently progressed at an abnormally high rate due to his major depressive disorder and lumbar strain with arthritis. The right shoulder disorder, left knee meniscal tear, osteoarthritis of the right knee, bilateral venous insufficiency, and bilateral foot disorder are all found to be related to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board is unable to determine the exact cause of the Veteran's service-connected heart disorder, but it has permanently progressed at an abnormally high rate due to his major depressive disorder and lumbar strain with arthritis. The right shoulder disorder, left knee meniscal tear, osteoarthritis of the right knee, bilateral venous insufficiency, and bilateral foot disorder are all found to be related to service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder disorder (shoulder strain, shoulder impingement syndrome, and subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis), left knee meniscal tear, osteoarthritis of the right knee (bilateral knee strain, right knee meniscal tear, bilateral patellofemoral pain syndrome, and right degenerative arthritis), heart disorder (coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy, and hypertensive heart disease), bilateral venous insufficiency, bilateral foot disorder (pes planus, metatarsalgia, and plantar fasciitis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2018
- Citation
- 1803136
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 1803136.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee meniscal tear and denied his request for an increased rating for left knee laxity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the reduction of the Veteran's rating for left knee meniscal tear from 20 percent to 10 percent was improper and restored the original 20 percent rating. The right knee disability and low back disorder issues are remanded.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic left knee disorder, finding that there is no evidence of a link between his current condition and his in-service injury. The Board noted conflicting medical histories regarding the onset of the Veteran's left knee condition.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period from February 27, 2020 is dismissed as moot because he has a combined 100% disability rating and does not meet the criteria for Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) due to being permanently housebound.
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