The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee condition, finding that his current knee disability did not manifest during or within one year after service and was not caused by military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran’s bilateral knee condition was less likely than not incurred in or caused by his service. The Board also noted that there is no evidence of a knee disability until nearly thirty years after service, contradicting the Veteran's assertion of continuity of symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee condition, degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20000979
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for cervical strain, back condition, bilateral knee condition, and left humerus bone tumor are remanded due to the need for further clarification of the Veteran's service dates and outstanding medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support a finding of a causal relationship between the claimed conditions and active duty service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral pes planus (flat feet), bilateral ankle condition, bilateral knee condition, and lower back condition as there was no evidence of a current disability or that the disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted an initial disability rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, DJD, from December 17, 1997 to June 3, 2022, and the effective date for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy was also set at December 17, 1997. However, a higher rating or TDIU was denied.
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.