The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the left ankle, right ankle, left knee, and right knee. The Veteran's complaints of joint pain were noted during service and continued post-service, with diagnoses provided in both settings.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported symptoms since service and had documented treatment for his joints post-service, which is considered as continuity of symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the left ankle, Osteoarthritis of the right ankle, Osteoarthritis of the left knee, Osteoarthritis of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2026
- Citation
- 26001738
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 26001738.
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 claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the right ankle was granted with an initial evaluation of 10 percent effective September 17, 2018. The Board has now granted a higher rating but is remanding to determine if an even higher rating is warranted.
- Granted
The Board has granted an initial 40 percent rating for the Veteran's right ankle disability, finding that his symptoms more nearly approximated ankylosis in dorsiflexion at more than 10 degrees during flare-ups and after repetitive use over time.
- Denied
The Veteran's right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome are currently rated at 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively. The Board denied the claims for higher ratings as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under DC 8515.,The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the right ankle and left ankle are both currently rated at 10 percent. The Board denied the claims for higher ratings as there is no evidence that meets the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Codes 5003-5271.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for higher initial ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right and left knees, and left ankle strain are remanded due to inadequate VA compensation examination reports.
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