The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee conditions as secondary to service-connected hallux valgus of the feet, but reopened the claim and found new evidence material. The Board also denied a higher rating for hallux valgus of both feet.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current knee condition is not related to his military service or any service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral degenerative joint disease of the knees, hallux valgus of the bilateral feet
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19187566
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (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 19187566.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hip arthroplasty, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, and bilateral knee degenerative joint disease due to new medical opinions being needed.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral degenerative joint disease of the knees is related to his service as a lookout on a United States Navy submarine, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral degenerative joint disease of the knees, finding that it is not related to service or a service-connected disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hip arthroplasty, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, and bilateral degenerative joint disease of the knees due to inadequate previous VA examination findings. The case is being remanded for this purpose.
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.