The claims for service connection of left index finger injury, bilateral ankle disorder, and right knee degenerative arthritis were denied as the new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.
The deciding factor: The new evidence does not show a link between the conditions and active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- left index finger injury, bilateral ankle disorder, right knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19103421
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee meniscal tear with degenerative arthritis and granted a separate 20 percent rating for right knee instability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left and right lower extremity radiculopathies, left and right hip pain, right knee degenerative arthritis, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an increased rating of 20 percent for left knee limitation of flexion and a 10 percent rating for right knee limitation of flexion, effective February 24, 2025, while denying ratings in excess of the current levels for both knees.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a right knee disability and denied service connection for right shoulder scars. The claims for peripheral neuropathy of the left thumb, a right ankle disorder, and a left ankle disorder were remanded.
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