The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of arthritis of the left knee and granted a TDIU effective January 23, 2018. The decision found that there was no nexus between the current left knee disability and service or service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided negative opinions regarding a direct relationship between the Veteran's current left knee arthritis and his in-service shrapnel injury, concluding instead that it is more likely due to age-related changes. The Board found that there was no evidence of continuity of symptomatology for arthritis of the left knee within one year of service.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- January 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19100377
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 Board remands the claims for service connection for arthritis of the left knee and right knee to ensure compliance with a Joint Motion for Partial Remand from the Court.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including residuals of a head injury, bilateral hearing loss, neck disability, gout of the right ankle, unspecified trauma or stress related disorder, tinnitus, and other musculoskeletal issues.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew all pending appeals, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these issues.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea syndromes, arthritis of the left knee as secondary to degenerative changes in the bilateral ankles, and arthritis of the right knee as secondary to degenerative changes in the bilateral ankles. The claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied.
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