The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the veteran's residuals of arthrotomy of the left knee with degenerative joint disease, effective from June 1999. The issue of increased rating for low back strain is pending and will be remanded to obtain a new VA spine examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that De Luca factors diminished the veteran's use of his left knee by 20 percent, supporting the grant of a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5258. The veteran has not been provided with an updated VA spine examination to assess current low back ranges of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back strain with sciatic and left L-5 radiculopathy and bilateral sacroiliac joint narrowing, Residuals of arthrotomy of the left knee with degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 3, 2004
- Citation
- 0411450
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 0411450.
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 the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Granted
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of his left foot, as there was no evidence showing that the service-connected conditions resulted in functional limitation equal to that of amputation of the left foot with prosthesis.
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