Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his left total knee replacement and right knee disorder, finding that the evidence did not support ratings higher than the current 30 percent and 20 percent assigned.

The deciding factor: The VA found no evidence of severe painful motion or weakness in the left knee joint post-replacement, nor any limitation of extension or flexion warranting a higher rating. The right knee disorder was rated based on its current symptoms without finding aggravation of an already service-connected condition.

Claimed conditions
Right Knee Osteoarthritis, Status Post Left Total Knee Replacement
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
March 14, 2003
Citation
0304890

Veterans Law Judge

DEREK R. BROWN

Decisions by this judge: 1,987 · Granted: 15% (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 0304890.

What this means for you

A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.

What you can do next

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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.