The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claims for service connection for right knee, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities. The new evidence submitted since the May 2001 denial confirms that the Veteran currently suffers from these conditions.,The Board also remanded the issues of service connection for right knee, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities due to insufficient medical opinion in the July 2014 VA examination.
The deciding factor: The new evidence submitted by the Veteran includes statements and lay evidence from his military comrades, which supports his claim that he suffered injuries during service. The Board found this evidence sufficient to reopen the claims.,The July 2014 VA examination did not consider the Veteran's reports of in-service injuries incurred while playing multiple sports, including football. Therefore, a new VA opinion is necessary.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disability, Left Ankle Disability, Right Ankle Disability
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 11, 2021
- Citation
- 21028351
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 21028351.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to obtain private treatment records from Mays & Schnapp Pain Management and schedule the Veteran for additional medical examinations.
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