The Board denied service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right and left knees, finding that there was no evidence of chronic disability in service or within a presumptive period.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's knee disabilities were not incurred during active duty service due to the lack of documentation of any knee issues prior to 2006 when she injured her knees and underwent surgery. The Board also noted the Veteran's statements about knee problems since service, but discounted them as inconsistent with other evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the right knee, degenerative joint disease of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19192827
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 19192827.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied several claims for increased ratings and service connection, but granted service connection for prostate cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee and ankle disabilities due to incomplete VA examinations.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including various musculoskeletal conditions and mental health disorders.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for degenerative joint disease of the left knee from August 17, 2018 through August 11, 2020 and a 60 percent rating for status-post left total knee replacement from October 1, 2021, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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