The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee and left ankle conditions as secondary to his service-connected right knee and right ankle conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided medical opinions supporting that the Veteran’s left knee and left ankle conditions are at least as likely as not proximately due or the result of his service-connected right knee and right ankle conditions, based on their altered gaits leading to stress on the other joints.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the left knee, Arthritis of the left ankle
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19161816
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 19161816.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development to ensure that the severity of the Veteran's bilateral knee disability is accurately assessed without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance, effective December 8, 2025.
- Granted
The Board granted increased ratings for the Veteran's degenerative spondylosis at L5-S1, left and right shoulder disabilities, left and right knee disabilities, and depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The issues on appeal are remanded for further clarification of a December 2022 VA knee and lower leg conditions examination.
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