The Veteran's right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities are denied as service connection is not warranted.,The Veteran's sleep apnea is denied as it is not proximately due to or aggravated by his PTSD.,The Veteran's bilateral blepharitis and early cataracts are denied as they are not etiologically related to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were necessary to establish entitlement, but the Veteran failed to attend without providing good cause. The opinions provided did not address whether the disabilities were proximately due or aggravated by PTSD.,The July 2015 VA examiner opined that the Veteran's eye disabilities were not likely due to his in-service exposure to battery acid in the right eye, and no new examination was conducted as requested.,No medical opinion addressed the potential relationship between the Veteran's dizziness and service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, Right Knee Disability, Left Knee Disability, Sleep Apnea (including as secondary to PTSD), Bilateral Blepharitis and Early Cataracts, Dizziness, Head Injury (previously claimed as headaches), Neck Disability with Radiculopathy (secondary to service-connected lumbar spine disability), Sickle Cell Disease, Throat Cyst Removal, Stroke
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 10, 2023
- Citation
- 23021821
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 23021821.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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