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: The VA examiner opined that the current diagnoses of arthritis in both knees are at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's history of physical training and wearing improper footwear, which he contends caused his knee disorders. The left ankle disorder is found to be related to service based on injury history.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Bilateral Knee Disorder","diagnosis_details":"Severe degenerative changes in bilateral knees"}, {"condition_name":"Left Ankle Disorder","diagnosis_details":"Current diagnoses of osteoarthritis, chronic tendon tear, trabecular microfracture, and tenosynovitis; related to service based on injury history of spraining his ankle in 1981"}
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- 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
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