The Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are not service-connected as they did not manifest during active duty or within one year of separation. The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current chronic headache disability, and his right and left knee disabilities are not related to in-service injuries.,The Veteran has been diagnosed with current cervical, lumbar, and bilateral knee disabilities. However, these conditions were not shown during service or within one year of separation. The Board also found that the Veteran does not have a chronic headache disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not review the accurate facts of the case regarding the right knee injury in May 1973 and the presence of current knee disabilities, leading to an inadequate medical opinion.,There is no evidence showing that the Veteran's current cervical, lumbar, or bilateral knee disabilities were present during service. The Board also found that he does not have a chronic headache disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Disability, Lumbar Spine Disability, Chronic Headache Disability, Right Knee Disability, Left Knee Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18156998
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 18156998.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
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