The veteran's claims for an increased rating for his right knee injury with arthritis and service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and muscle strain of the lower back as secondary to his right knee disability were denied. The RO found that there was no evidence of limitation of motion or instability warranting a higher rating, and that the veteran's conditions are not related to his service-connected right knee disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find any limitation of motion or instability in the veteran's right knee, which is required for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Codes 5260 or 5261. The examiner also noted that there was no laxity to varus or valgus stress and negative McMurray's test and Lachman's test.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine and Muscle Strain of the Lower Back, Right Knee Injury with Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 19, 2006
- Citation
- 0617840
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 832 · Granted: 18% (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 0617840.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's right knee disability, including arthritis and instability, has been rated at 30 percent since November 1, 2000. A separate 10 percent rating for instability was granted effective from April 14, 2003 to the present.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, Hepatitis C, Right Knee Injury with Arthritis, and Injury to Chin as secondary to exposure to Agent Orange. The veteran's muscle and joint aches and swelling are also found to be related to his service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for earlier effective dates and clear and unmistakable error, as well as the claim for a higher evaluation for right knee injury with arthritis. The appellant's claims were based on his service-connected right knee injuries.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
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