The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disability and a low back condition as secondary to a bilateral knee condition, finding that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence of pre-existing Osgood-Schlatter’s disease in both knees, and that any current osteoarthritis is not related to service. The Board also found that the Veteran's low back condition is not service-connected.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disability was not incurred or aggravated by service due to clear and unmistakable evidence of pre-existing Osgood-Schlatter’s disease in both knees, which did not worsen during service. The current osteoarthritis was found unrelated to service. As for the low back condition, it was determined that there was no legal basis for secondary service connection as the Veteran is not service-connected for any other disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disability, low back condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20065130
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 Board remands the service connection claim for a bilateral knee disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, including scheduling an additional VA examination.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and other benefits, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or additional compensation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of a low back condition to obtain an adequate medical opinion, as the presumption of soundness has not been rebutted.
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