The Board has restored service connection for Lyme disease, anemia (due to Lyme disease), thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome as secondary to the Veteran's exposure to these conditions during her military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran provided credible testimony about contracting Lyme disease during annual training, which led to anemia and other related conditions. The Board found that severance of service connection for these conditions was erroneous due to lack of clear evidence of error in the original decision.
- Claimed conditions
- Lyme disease, anemia (due to Lyme disease), thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, right knee patellofemoral syndrome
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2024
- Citation
- 24003371
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,287 · Granted: 23% (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 24003371.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee disability, finding that it is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected back and sciatica disabilities. The evidence did not support a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee patellofemoral syndrome and degenerative arthritis are at least as likely as not related to his service-connected left knee bursitis, granting service connection for these conditions on a secondary basis.
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