The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disability, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability. The evidence did not show an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.,Service connection was not granted because the current diagnoses were not caused by active duty service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners concluded that there is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's current knee, cervical spine, and lumbar spine disabilities to his military service. The Board found the opinions of the VA examiners more credible than the Veteran’s assertions.,There was no in-service diagnosis or treatment for any of these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Knee Disability, Cervical Spine Disability, Lumbar Spine Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20000703
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 112 · 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 20000703.
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: Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability, right knee strain (painful motion), and right knee instability are now rated at 30 percent effective August 16, 2017.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and bilateral knee disability must be remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's reported stressors need to be verified, and a VA examination is required to address the etiology of his bilateral knee condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for TMD, cervical spine disability, and FSAD have been denied.,An earlier effective date prior to August 2, 2022, for the award of service connection for these conditions has also been denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable prior to August 19, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.,The Veteran's depressive disorder is rated as 30% prior to December 1, 2022 and at a 40% rating since that date.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated as 20% prior to December 1, 2022 and at a 40% rating since that date.,The Veteran's left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated as 10% prior to August 3, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.,The Veteran's right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated as 10% prior to August 3, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.,The Veteran's left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy is rated as 20% since August 3, 2024.,The Veteran's right ankle disability is rated as 10% prior to August 27, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.
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