The Board has denied service connection for left knee total joint replacement, right knee replaced broken leg, numbness in left leg and foot (secondary to left knee total joint replacement), left shoulder arthritis, lower back/lumbago, left ankle, and sinusitis. The reasons provided include the lack of a nexus between these conditions and active military service.,The Board found that there is no evidence linking any of these conditions to the Veteran's time in active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner explained that the Veteran's left knee total replacement was less likely caused by an injury during service, as evidenced by the lack of a documented incident and the absence of follow-up care. The right knee replaced broken leg is not related to service due to the absence of any in-service diagnosis or treatment.,For secondary service connection claims, there must be evidence showing that the condition was aggravated by a service-connected disability. In this case, the Veteran does not have a service-connected broken leg and therefore cannot establish secondary service connection for his knee replacement.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee total joint replacement, numbness in left leg and foot, left shoulder arthritis, lower back/lumbago, left ankle, sinusitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2021
- Citation
- A21019099
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 A21019099.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for sinusitis is being remanded due to a failure by the AOJ to provide proper notice of his right to a hearing.
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The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in obtaining relevant medical records and authorization for private treatment providers. The issues include heart disorder, OSA, sinusitis, lumbar spine disorder, and right knee disorder all related to Agent Orange exposure.
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