The Board has granted service connection for atherosclerosis of the heart and secondary service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right hip, left hip, right knee, left knee, right Achilles tendinopathy, and a right leg disorder (including bone spurs and muscle atrophy) as secondary to service-connected left Achilles tendinopathy.,Service connection was denied for hypertriglyceridemia.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current diagnoses of degenerative joint disease of the hips and knees, patellofemoral syndrome, right Achilles tendinopathy, and a right leg disorder were found to be secondary to his service-connected left Achilles tendinopathy. The Board considered conflicting medical opinions but ultimately found the evidence in favor of the Veteran.,The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that hypertriglyceridemia was related to the Veteran's active service.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertriglyceridemia, atherosclerosis of the heart, degenerative joint disease of the right hip, degenerative joint disease of the left hip, patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, right achilles tendinopathy, right leg disorder (including bone spurs and muscle atrophy)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22001777
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 22001777.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
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- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of August 12, 2011 for his entitlement to Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The decision is based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since August 12, 2011.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ's decision to disenroll the Veteran from the PCAFC program was not supported by adequate and sufficient evidence, and thus remanded for further development and consideration.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the need of personal care services, and his PCAFC request was denied. The Board finds that the AOJ did not provide proper notice and reasoning for the denial, and thus remands the case to obtain a new determination based on updated regulations.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left knee disability and GERD, made him unable to follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted TDIU based on these conditions.
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