The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right knee, left knee, and spine. The decision is based on a finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service, specifically parachuting 14 times during his active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found the Veteran's lay statements about his service and medical opinions supporting a connection between his current knee and back disabilities and his service to be credible, resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the right knee, Degenerative arthritis of the left knee, Degenerative arthritis of the spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2020
- Citation
- A20018829
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 A20018829.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability but denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the right knee.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine with intervertebral disc syndrome, right knee, and left knee as secondary to the right knee.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), and foraminal stenosis based on a finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine to obtain a new medical opinion that considers an in-service injury after appropriate efforts are made to obtain the appellant's service treatment records.
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