Service connection for a total left knee replacement is granted.,Service connection for a total right shoulder replacement is denied.,The Veteran's service-connected right ankle injury, residuals thereof, and bilateral hip replacements are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports the finding that the Veteran's current left knee disability began during active service or is otherwise related to service. The Board finds the evidence to at least be in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current left knee disability arose in or is related to service.,The evidence persuasively weighs against finding that a current right shoulder disability was shown as chronic in service, manifested to a compensable degree within a presumptive period, was noted in service with attributable continuity of symptomatology, or is otherwise related to service. The Veteran's post-service treatment records show the Veteran did not complain of right shoulder symptoms until May 1995 and was not diagnosed with right shoulder glenohumeral arthritis until May 2008.,The evidence persuasively weighs against finding that a current right ankle disability is related to service, including an in-service fall. The Veteran's bilateral hip replacements are remanded for further development as their connection to his service-connected right ankle injury and/or aggravation by it needs clarification.
- Claimed conditions
- Total left knee replacement, Right ankle injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 30, 2022
- Citation
- 22055726
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 22055726.
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's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, total right and left knee replacements, tinnitus, degenerative disc disease with spinal fusion complications, painful middle back scar, and scars of the knees, have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation. A TDIU is granted.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a right ankle disability was dismissed because his Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was not filed within the one-year deadline and he did not request an extension. The Board found that the NOD was untimely.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle injuries, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between the current conditions and military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's total left knee replacement is rated at 60 percent, the maximum schedular rating. SMC at the housebound rate is granted from September 29, 2010 to November 1, 2011.
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