The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied for right knee disorder, frostbite of the hands and feet, and leukopenia. The Veteran was granted a separate 20 percent rating for frequent episodes of locking, pain, and effusion of the left knee.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support current diagnoses for the claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- chondromalacia, right knee, frostbite, left foot, frostbite, left hand, frostbite, right foot, frostbite, right hand, leukopenia, degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder AC joint with labral tear (left shoulder disorder), chondromalacia, left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 6, 2018
- Citation
- 18116558
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 18116558.
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 Board denied service connection for various knee and foot disabilities, as well as shoulder disabilities, all of which are deemed to be unrelated to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a blood/bone marrow disorder, including myelodysplastic syndrome, leukopenia, and neutropenia, is being remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The Board acknowledges that the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Veteran's leukopenia has not required continuous medication for control or intermittent use of a myeloid growth factor to maintain ANC greater than or equal to 1500/l, and therefore does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all claims related to the Veteran's knee conditions and secondary service connection requests due to his death.
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