The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability, finding that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a left knee disability and has not had one at any time during or approximate to the pendency of her claim.,The Board also denied service connection for a left ankle disability, finding that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a left ankle disability and has not had one at any time during or recent to the filing of the claim.,Service connection was denied for a right ankle disability due to lack of evidence linking it to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of left knee or left ankle disabilities and that these conditions did not begin during service. The Veteran's husband provided testimony on the functional impact of her pain, but this was insufficient to establish a disability.,Similar reasoning applied to the denial of service connection for left ankle disability. The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis and concluded that the Veteran's disabilities were caused by a motor vehicle accident after service.,The right ankle disability was denied because there is no evidence linking it to service, with the only relevant medical opinion stating that the condition began during a 2011 motor vehicle accident.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Disability, Left Ankle Disability, Right Ankle Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2021
- Citation
- 21074837
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 21074837.
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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
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.