The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disability warrants a 20% rating, reflecting complaints of pain and occasional swelling, as well as instability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found tenderness at multiple points on the patella and lateral/medial borders, with pain elicited by straight leg raising and extension maneuvers. The Board concluded that these findings supported an increased evaluation to 20% for left knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- postoperative meniscectomy of the left knee with degenerative joint disease and instability of the medial collateral ligaments, lumbar paravertebral myositis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 7, 2004
- Citation
- 0418080
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 999 · Granted: 31% (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 0418080.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of September 20, 1996 for the assignment of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected lumbar paravertebral myositis, disc disease, and spine spondylosis rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of March 28, 2018. The Board granted his TDIU claim.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal because his April 2017 substantive appeal was not timely filed, and thus the April 2015 rating decision is final.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals regarding increased ratings for his service-connected low back and left forearm disabilities have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal in May 2022.
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