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 vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 22001777.
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.
- 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.
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.