The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic cough and bilateral knee pain, as well as increased ratings for his cervical spine and thoracolumbar spinal disabilities. The Veteran's chronic cough was not found to be related to service due to lack of evidence in STRs. His bilateral knee pain was attributed to patellofemoral syndrome, which the examiner opined may have had a service origin but could not be confirmed without speculation.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish a service connection for the Veteran's chronic cough and bilateral knee pain due to lack of documentation in STRs. The examiner concluded that while it is possible that his knee pain may have been related to service, this could not be conclusively proven without speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic cough, bilateral patellofemoral syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 28, 2018
- Citation
- 1818540
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 1818540.
What this means for you
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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 claims for increased evaluations for PTSD and a chronic cough are being remanded due to an error in providing notice of the right to a hearing before the RO.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeal regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic cough, thus the appeal is dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic cough disability was granted with an effective date of January 1, 2002. This decision is based on the addition of relevant service department records that were not considered in prior decisions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic cough, fatigue, chest pain, and dizzy spells are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board finds that the Veteran should have been afforded an examination to determine if these conditions are related to his service-connected esophageal cancer.
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