The Board determined that the veteran's residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left thigh involving muscle groups XIII and XIV do not warrant a higher rating than 40 percent.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a finding of severe impairment, which would have warranted a higher rating. The veteran’s disability was evaluated based on his specific injuries to Muscle Groups XIII and XIV, with the most severely injured group (XIV) being rated at 30 percent and combined with the other affected groups.
- Claimed conditions
- shell fragment wound of the left thigh, osteoarthritis of the left knee and hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- February 23, 2006
- Citation
- 0605219
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 0605219.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The veteran was granted a 20 percent rating for left knee instability prior to February 7, 2021, and restoration of a separate 10 percent rating for a shell fragment wound of the left thigh. Other issues were denied or remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded three issues: increased rating for shell fragment wound of the left thigh, service connection for a low back disorder, and service connection for bilateral radiculopathy of the lower extremities. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations for these issues.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left thigh before July 3, 1997 was denied by the Board. The evidence showed that the injury involved Muscle Group XIII and Muscle Group XIV in the same anatomical region affecting the left knee joint.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected left thigh fragment wound residuals are rated at 10 percent, with a separate rating of 10 percent for muscle damage. The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to these ratings based on his service-connected disability.
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