Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and bilateral ankle disability, finding no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not related to his military service.,Service connection was granted for a dermatological fungal disability of the bilateral foot.

The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s left knee and bilateral ankle disabilities did not have their onset during active duty or within one year thereafter, and thus could not be considered as incurred in service. The examiner also noted that arthritis is generally a chronic disease under presumptive service connection rules, but there was no evidence of arthritis during service.

Claimed conditions
Left Knee Degenerative Arthritis, Bilateral Ankle Sprain, Dermatological Fungal Disability of the Bilateral Foot
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
February 18, 2021
Citation
21009090

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 21009090.

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.

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.