The veteran's increased disability rating claims for his service-connected back and left leg conditions have been denied. Service connection for a right ankle condition, claimed as secondary to the veteran's service-connected left leg disabilities, has also been denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased disability rating or service connection under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the left knee, Left distal femur and left patella fractures, Residuals, compression fracture L2 with degenerative change and deformity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2006
- Citation
- 0604652
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,555 · Granted: 19% (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 0604652.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, and bilateral tinnitus. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied. Other claims were either granted or remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and a right knee disability, finding that the Veteran's arthritis of both knees is not related to an injury or disease incurred in active service and has not been caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple back and joint disabilities, resolving all reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under VA rating criteria.
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