The RO has granted service connection for the appellant's right and left ankle and foot disabilities, as well as his bilateral knee disabilities. The initial evaluations assigned are 20 percent for each of the right and left ankle and foot disabilities, and 10 percent for each of the bilateral knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The RO considered the appellant's symptoms and provided appropriate disability ratings based on the severity of his service-connected conditions as per VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ankle and Foot Injury, Patellofemoral Syndrome of the Left Knee, Right Ankle and Foot Injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 5, 2003
- Citation
- 0303805
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,458 · Granted: 24% (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 0303805.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to October 9, 2021. The Board found that the Veteran was still employed at the time of his appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of anxiety disorder and patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee prior to specific dates have been remanded due to procedural errors in previous decisions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing substantially gainful employment during the appeal period, and therefore his claim for a TDIU was denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, but no higher. The Veteran's lumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome is rated at 40 percent from January 30, 2020 and denied for prior to that date. The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent. The Veteran's patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee is denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.