The Veteran's appeal of entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of an increased rating for service-connected lumbar strain is dismissed.,Service connection for a left shoulder disability is denied as there is no evidence of chronic disease noted in service or within a presumptive period, and continuity of symptomatology has not been established since service. The Veteran's statements regarding onset are not credible.,Service connection on secondary basis for right and left knee conditions is denied because the preponderance of the evidence does not support finding that the current right and/or left knee disabilities are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar strain.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's statements regarding onset of his left shoulder disability, right and left knee conditions, and bilateral foot disability (claimed as fallen arches/flat feet) are not credible.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder arthritis with full thickness cartilage thinning and large marginal osteophytes, right knee condition (medial meniscus tear status post arthroscopy with partial medial meniscectomy and debridement), left knee condition (medial meniscus tear with chondromalacia status post arthroscopy with partial medial meniscectomy and debridement)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19149135
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,374 · Granted: 19% (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 19149135.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
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