The veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee and shoulder disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to June 4, 2003, for his left knee disability, and did not find sufficient evidence to warrant an initial evaluation greater than 10 percent for his left shoulder disability.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence showed that the veteran's left knee had slight limitation of motion with arthritis, pain associated with movement, and crepitus. His left shoulder disability was manifested by subjective complaints of pain, limitation of motion, and mild degenerative changes. The Board determined that these conditions did not warrant a higher rating based on the current medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Disability, Left Shoulder Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 6, 2004
- Citation
- 0408921
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,710 · 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 0408921.
What this means for you
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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 knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
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