The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee DJD as the evidence did not establish a link to military service. The claim of secondary service connection was also denied due to lack of a causal relationship between the right leg disability and the knee condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current bilateral knee DJD is not causally related to his military service, as there is no evidence of chronic symptoms during or within one year after service. The examiner concluded that the DJD was more likely caused by post-service occupational activities rather than military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20065174
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (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 20065174.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral knee degenerative joint disease and right shoulder DJD, but denied service connection for a compensable rating for scar, right bunionectomy, bilateral hearing loss (BHL), and right radiculopathy.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination and opinion regarding service connection for hypertension. The Veteran's hypertension is being evaluated in relation to his service-connected bilateral knee DJD, but the examiner did not address whether the Veteran's above normal blood pressure readings were related to his service or if they were aggravated by his service-connected condition.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
Your service connection claims for bilateral foot and knee injuries have already been granted in full, so this matter is dismissed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for anemia and bilateral knee DJD secondary to service-connected PTSD due to incomplete examinations and lack of submission of the requested article.
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