The Veteran's claims for service connection for cold injury residuals of the hands and feet, as well as increased ratings for her low back disability, right knee arthritis, right knee instability, left knee disability, and left knee instability are all denied. The Board found that there is no current evidence of a cold injury or its residuals in the Veteran's case.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show any current cold injury residuals of the hands and feet, and the Veteran has not presented persuasive evidence showing she currently experiences symptoms related to her service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of cold injury to bilateral hands, residuals of cold injury to bilateral feet, low back disability, right knee arthritis, right knee instability, left knee disability, left knee instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18151385
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 18151385.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in the July 2012 VA examination for the Veteran's left knee disability, and a new addendum opinion is needed.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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