The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disorder as secondary to his service-connected left knee disorder, finding that there is persuasive evidence linking the two.
The deciding factor: The April 2020 private examiner provided a more persuasive opinion than the VA examiners who had previously stated that arthritis in one joint does not cause arthritis in another joint. The private examiner explained how the Veteran's service-connected left knee disorders may have caused or aggravated his right knee disorder based on current medical literature.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee degenerative arthritis, Left knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- February 27, 2026
- Citation
- A26017985
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 A26017985.
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 Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right ankle degenerative arthritis, and left ankle degenerative arthritis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and right knee degenerative arthritis, as well as his claim for a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The appeal is not about service connection at all.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for right knee degenerative arthritis based on limitation of motion was denied. A separate 20 percent rating for a right knee meniscus tear is granted. The claims for service connection for left hip condition and right foot gout are dismissed.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine was dismissed as a matter of law due to a full grant of benefits. The appeals for left knee and left ankle disabilities are remanded.
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