The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees, but remanded the issue of a low back disability for further development.
The deciding factor: The evidence was at least evenly balanced as to whether preexisting knee disabilities were aggravated in service, so service connection was warranted. The Board found that there was not clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's knee conditions existed prior to service or that they were not aggravated by service. For the low back disability, a remand was necessary due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the right knee, Degenerative arthritis of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25100495
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 945 · Granted: 43% (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 A25100495.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right knee is granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied, as well as the claim for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to duty-to-assist errors, specifically regarding a VA medical opinion on whether the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the right knee is related to service-connected chondromalacia and proximal patellar tendinosis of the left knee. The Board also needs another VA medical opinion addressing chronic presumptions and direct service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder, left knee, and right knee due to inadequate VA examinations in August 2020 and January 2021.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine with intervertebral disc syndrome, right knee, and left knee as secondary to the right knee.
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