The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to August 4, 2015 were denied as the earliest date of claim was March 1979 when he originally filed his service connection claims. The Board found that an earlier effective date is not warranted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not file a notice of disagreement or submit new and material evidence within one year of the denial in 1979, making the decision final. He only filed to reopen his claims on August 4, 2015, which is when he received service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee bursitis, right knee degenerative joint disease, bursitis, and meniscal tear with scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19103022
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19103022.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for left knee bursitis is remanded due to inadequate prior examinations and the need for a new one with proper range of motion testing.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, left great toenail condition, diabetes mellitus due to anthrax vaccine, fibromyalgia, and right and left knee bursitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a higher rating of left and right knee bursitis to obtain an adequate medical examination.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the claims for a right shoulder disability, left elbow disability, left hip disability, bilateral foot disability, lumbar spine idiopathic scoliosis with intervertebral disc syndrome, right hip strain residuals, right hip limitation of flexion, right hip limitation of extension, right knee arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament tear residuals with a hamstring graft, and left knee bursitis for further development.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.