The Board denied service connection for right hip, left hip, and right knee disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service. The Veteran was granted SMC based on need for aid and attendance.
The deciding factor: Service records do not show any documented injuries or diagnoses related to the claimed conditions during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Hip Arthritis, Left Hip Strain, Right Knee Traumatic Bursitis, Left Knee Strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20070690
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 20070690.
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: Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee strains, as well as shin splints, were granted increased ratings. The Veteran also received special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from October 25, 2017 to March 11, 2024.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left hip disability, finding that there was no medical evidence linking his current condition to his military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied. The claims for tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), obstructive sleep apnea, and left knee strain are remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hip strain, as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine and right ankle conditions. A new VA medical examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's hip strains are related to her service-connected disabilities.
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