The Board denied service connection for right knee osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not etiologically related to his service-connected left calf muscle injury, left posterior tibial nerve impairment, and/or left ankle strain.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran’s right knee osteoarthritis is less likely than not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected left leg-related conditions due to lack of evidence of left lower leg atrophy, loss of plantar flexion strength, or trophic changes seen with severe neuropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19180703
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and remanded the claims for bilateral tinnitus, right knee osteoarthritis, and left knee osteoarthritis due to inadequate medical evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral knee, bilateral shoulder, low back and bilateral hip disabilities based on the evidence showing that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal was remanded for the AOJ to provide the Veteran with notice concerning his right to a hearing under 38 C.F.R. § 3.103(b)(1) and (d)(1).
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