The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee and low back disabilities, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between these conditions and his active military service.
The deciding factor: Service records did not show any left knee or low back injuries during service. The VA examiners concluded that current diagnoses were more likely due to post-service activities such as playing college sports and law enforcement work, rather than service events.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee joint osteoarthritis, low back degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2021
- Citation
- 21002693
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 21002693.
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 Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence, including SSA disability records. The AOJ will consider the recent grants of service connection in conjunction with the TDIU application.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD, right knee joint osteoarthritis, left knee joint osteoarthritis, chest disability manifested by pain, left leg disability manifested by pain, right ankle disability manifested by pain, sleep apnea, and right ear hearing loss. The claim for left ear hearing loss is denied as the Veteran does not meet the regulatory threshold for a current hearing loss disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of June 24, 2016 for the award of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left lower peripheral vein insufficiency (CVI) and varicose veins, right lower peripheral vein insufficiency (CVI) and varicose veins, left knee joint osteoarthritis, and right knee joint osteoarthritis.,The effective dates are based on the Veteran's formal appeal of the July 2019 Statement of the Case and December 2016 rating decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been denied.,The Veteran was granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.
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.