The Veteran's bilateral knee and left ankle disorders are found to be related to his military service, with the knee disorders potentially secondary to improper footwear or a change in gait due to his left ankle disorder.
The deciding factor: VA examination findings support that current diagnoses of arthritis in both knees are at least as likely as not related to service, including wearing improper footwear and changes in gait due to his left ankle disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Knee Disorder, Left Ankle Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105530
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (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 19105530.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, left shoulder disorders, right shoulder disorder, cervical spine disorder, left ankle disorder, allergic rhinitis, and bilateral knee disorders, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work history. The Board granted the TDIU claim based on these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's IBS has been granted a 30 percent initial disability rating. Service connection was denied for other claimed conditions.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for right shoulder disorder, low back disorder, and bilateral knee disorders as these conditions are not shown to be related to military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD and multiple orthopedic disabilities, have rendered her unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since March 6, 2013.
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