The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and left knee disability. The claim for PTSD is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's reported in-service stressor.,Further research into the suicide of a sailor aboard U.S.S. Hunley (AS-31) in July 1990 will be conducted, and a new VA examination will be scheduled to assess any acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the current right knee disability is related to an in-service injury. The Veteran's testimony and statements from former shipmates support this contention.,The evidence is also at least evenly balanced as to whether the current left knee disability developed as a secondary result of the right knee disability, for which service connection has already been granted. A new VA examination will be scheduled to assess any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disability, Left Knee Disability, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2022
- Citation
- 22005595
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 22005595.
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.
- 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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