The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine and assigned a 10 percent evaluation. The claim for an increased rating for traumatic arthritis of the left knee is also granted.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected left knee disability, manifested by painful motion and effusion, with complaints of constant pain during flare-ups and intermittent locking, meets the criteria for a 10 percent evaluation under Diagnostic Codes 5003 (arthritis) and 5257 (other impairment of knee).
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine, traumatic arthritis of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 8, 2004
- Citation
- 0432478
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 0432478.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for traumatic arthritis of the left knee and plantar fasciitis of the right foot prior to January 2, 2024, are being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The claim for TDIU is also being remanded as it was not raised by the Veteran prior to the September 2021 rating decision on appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no in-service disease or injury and that the current condition did not manifest within one year of separation from active duty. The Board also found insufficient evidence to support a presumption of service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including postoperative residuals of a left knee injury, traumatic arthritis of the left knee, and degenerative joint disease of the right knee, were found to be contributory causes of his death. As such, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right and left knee disabilities due to new evidence received since the last decision.
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