The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disability and denied his claim for service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to major depressive disorder. The decision is based on evidence showing that the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability is related to injuries sustained during active duty service, while the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that his hypertension condition is related to his service-connected major depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board found an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the Veteran’s bilateral knee disability, granting service connection. For hypertension, the Board noted insufficient medical record evidence objectively documenting a continuous, ongoing, chronic right knee problem proximally subsequent to separation from active duty service, as well as conflicting opinions on whether it is related to his major depressive disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disability, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20040924
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 20040924.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
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