The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right elbow disorder and an increased rating for left knee chondromalacia patella were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for the right elbow disorder, as there was no in-service diagnosis or injury related to the condition. For the left knee chondromalacia patella, the Board noted that while the Veteran had undergone surgeries and received temporary 100% ratings, his current disability rating remained at 10%. The Board also considered functional loss due to pain but found it did not warrant a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support service connection for the right elbow disorder as there was no in-service diagnosis or injury related to the condition. For the left knee chondromalacia patella, while the Veteran had undergone surgeries and received temporary 100% ratings, his current disability rating remained at 10%. The Board considered functional loss due to pain but found it did not warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- right elbow disorder, left knee chondromalacia patella
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109347
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 19109347.
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 has determined that the AOJ did not obtain all necessary opinions regarding whether the Veteran's symptoms are related to an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness (MUCMI). The claims for service connection for fatigue, fibromyalgia, left elbow disorder, right elbow disorder, and sleep disorder are remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection of a bilateral foot disorder is dismissed. The appeals for service connection of OSA, cervical spine disorder, left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, left elbow disorder, right elbow disorder, right hip disorder, left hip disorder, and right ankle disorder are remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on statutory housebound status due to her service-connected conditions and additional nonservice-connected disabilities, finding that she did not meet the criteria for SMC.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, left and right knee disorders, left and right ankle disorders, left and right hip disorders, a right elbow disorder, a back disability, and migraine headaches. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.
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.