The Veteran's facial injury (diplopia) is not service-connected as it was not incurred or aggravated by his active duty service.,For the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that they are manifested by ankylosis, nonunion of the tibia and fibula, limitation of extension to 30 degrees, or chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion or weakness in either knee.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's diplopia is diagnosed as decompensated phoria, which is a congenital condition not related to his service. The VA examiner found that the trauma reported by the Veteran did not cause or exacerbate this condition.,For the left and right knee disabilities, the evidence does not show ankylosis, nonunion of the tibia and fibula, limitation of extension to 30 degrees, or chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion or weakness in either knee.
- Claimed conditions
- Facial Injury (Diplopia), Left Knee Disability, Right Knee Disability, Right Ankle Sprain with Instability, Right Hand Wound (Thumb and Finger Limitation)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 15, 2021
- Citation
- 21074469
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 21074469.
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: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
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