The veteran's initial ratings for degenerative joint disease of the left knee with patellofemoral syndrome and ligamentous laxity of the left knee are both appropriate, as they reflect the severity of his disabilities based on Diagnostic Codes 5010 and 5257 respectively.
The deciding factor: The veteran's left knee conditions meet the criteria for a 10 percent rating under Diagnostic Codes 5010 (degenerative joint disease) and 5257 (ligamentous laxity), which are appropriate given his range of motion, instability, and x-ray findings.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Left Knee with Patellofemoral Syndrome, Ligamentous Laxity of the Left Knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 2, 2003
- Citation
- 0311257
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,440 · Granted: 30% (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 0311257.
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
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