The Board has denied service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, low back, left hip, right hip, and right knee disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service. The Veteran's current disabilities are not considered the result of an August 1972 motor vehicle accident.,Service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus has also been denied as there is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure in Thailand during the Veteran's period of active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the current disabilities are less likely than not related to service. The Veteran’s lay reports regarding the August 1972 motor vehicle accident were considered, but the VA examiner noted no evidence of injury in these joints during the accident.,There is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure in Thailand as defined by VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Low Back Disability, Left Hip Disability, Right Hip Disability, Left Knee Disability, Right Knee Disability, Hypertension, Coronary Artery Disease, Diabetes Mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19129960
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,863 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19129960.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
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