The veteran's right knee chondromalacia and medial meniscal tear residuals are service-connected, as is his lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease with L3 and L4 vertebral fracture residuals. The disability evaluations for the left total knee replacement residuals have been increased.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on secondary service connection due to the veteran's service-connected left knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbosacral Spine Degenerative Disc Disease with L3 and L4 Vertebral Fracture Residuals, Right Knee Chondromalacia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2004
- Citation
- 0415427
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0415427.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee instability rating is restored to 20 percent effective November 1, 2019. The initial disability rating for right knee instability remains denied and the increased disability rating for right knee chondromalacia is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee conditions have been denied. The current evaluations for the right knee under DC 5260 are 10 percent, while those for the left knee under DCs 5260 and 5261 are noncompensable.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right knee disability is not productive of actual or functional flexion limited to 30 degrees, extension limited to 10 degrees, ankylosis, recurrent subluxation or lateral instability, patellar instability, dislocated semilunar cartilage, symptomatic removal of semilunar cartilage, impairment of the tibia and fibula, medial tibial stress syndrome or shin splints, or genu recurvatum. Therefore, a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee chondromalacia, to include right knee meniscal tear, residuals of meniscectomy, and residuals of right knee arthroplasty is denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's pes planus, left knee lateral meniscus tear, right knee chondromalacia, and left knee chondromalacia were all denied increased ratings. The Veteran was already in receipt of the maximum schedular rating for his left knee lateral meniscus tear.
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