The Board granted effective dates of September 25, 2009, for right knee bony joint enlargement and instability, and September 3, 2014, for other conditions including Graves' disease, avitaminosis, left knee bony joint enlargement, left knee instability, arthritis, diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension, and depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The evidence supported a finding of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities as directly related to her in-service exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)/perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) while stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee bony joint enlargement, right knee instability, Graves' disease, avitaminosis, left knee bony joint enlargement, left knee instability, arthritis, diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension, depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2025
- Citation
- A25058667
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal to obtain a VA medical opinion that considers the Veteran's contentions of in-service training with heavy gear and equipment.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
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