The Board denied service connection for arthritis of both the left and right knees, finding no evidence of chronic conditions in service or within a presumptive period.
The deciding factor: There was no established continuity of symptomatology post-service that could be linked to an in-service injury or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of left knee, arthritis of right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20068226
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (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 20068226.
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 has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for blood poisoning of left and right leg, shrapnel, and arthritis of left and right knee due to a lack of current medical evidence supporting these conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected amputation of the distal phalanx of the fifth digit and crush injury of the fourth digit of the left hand is found to be aggravated by his arthritis in the left hand, which is granted as secondary to this service-connected condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to provide analysis regarding whether VA obtained proper informed consent for the procedure central to the Veteran's 38 U.S.C. § 1151 claim, and also because of the need to obtain additional medical records and conduct further examinations.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for compensation under 1151 for postoperative meniscectomy and arthritis of right knee is denied because the evidence does not support a finding that VA care caused additional disability.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.