The Board denied service connection for bilateral degenerative joint disease of the knees as it did not begin during service or be related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion found that DJD is characterized by progressive wearing away of cartilage and risk factors include being overweight, getting older, a joint injury, improperly formed joints, genetic defect in joint cartilage, and stress on the joint from jobs or sports. The Veteran’s knee condition was not diagnosed until 2012.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral degenerative joint disease of the knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18130139
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18130139.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hip arthroplasty, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, and bilateral knee degenerative joint disease due to new medical opinions being needed.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral degenerative joint disease of the knees is related to his service as a lookout on a United States Navy submarine, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral degenerative joint disease of the knees, finding that it is not related to service or a service-connected disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hip arthroplasty, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, and bilateral degenerative joint disease of the knees due to inadequate previous VA examination findings. The case is being remanded for this purpose.
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