The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for residuals of right fourth metacarpal fracture was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his claim.,Service connection for right knee osteoarthritis, status post total knee joint replacement surgery, based on aggravation of a pre-existing right knee injury is granted.,Service connection for left knee osteoarthritis, status post total knee joint replacement surgery, based on aggravation of a pre-existing left knee injury is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal with regard to the increased rating issue prior to promulgation of an appellate decision.,The Veteran's right and left knees were noted as having been injured at the time of entrance into service, and there was evidence that their conditions worsened during service. The Board found this sufficient to grant service connection for aggravation of pre-existing injuries.,Similar to the right knee issue, the Veteran’s left knee condition was also aggravated by military service.
- Claimed conditions
- right fourth metacarpal fracture, right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19193817
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 19193817.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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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