The Veteran's claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left knee is granted. The claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left shoulder is remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the left knee osteoarthritis was less likely than not related to his military service, primarily due to a lack of documented treatment until 2019. However, the Board found the Veteran's statements competent as they were capable of lay observation and corroborated by STRs.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the left knee, osteoarthritis of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2026
- Citation
- A26032362
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 A26032362.
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 an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for torn labrum and osteoarthritis of the left shoulder, finding no unadjudicated claim prior to October 20, 2014.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a TDIU are being remanded due to procedural errors in the development process. The VA is required to provide an examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disorders, including any meniscal disability or patellar instability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gout, bilateral foot and osteoarthritis of the left knee. The conditions are found to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
- Denied
The Veteran's motion to revise a non-compensable rating decision for osteoarthritis of the left shoulder is denied as there was no clear and unmistakable error in the original determination.
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