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 is no legal basis for secondary service connection as the Veteran does not have a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disability, low back condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20065130
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (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 20065130.
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: 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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a neurological examination to determine if any diagnosed radiculopathy or other neurological disability affecting the lower extremities was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of his low back condition, finding that it is related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a neck condition and a low back condition, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his military service.
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