The Board denied the veteran's increased disability evaluations for residuals of a lumbar strain, chondromalacia of the left knee, and chondromalacia of the right knee as his service-connected conditions do not warrant higher ratings under the applicable criteria.
The deciding factor: The VA General Counsel held that application of the revised spine rating criteria would not produce retroactive results. The Board applied the earlier version of the criteria for rating spine disabilities, which did not support a higher evaluation than the current 20 percent assigned for residuals of a lumbar strain.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a lumbar strain, chondromalacia of the left knee, chondromalacia of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 28, 2006
- Citation
- 0619012
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 0619012.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board's September 4, 2025 decision was vacated due to a failure to address clear and unmistakable error arguments, depriving the Veteran of due process.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for chondromalacia of the right knee as secondary to residuals of fracture of the right lateral malleolus/foot due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for chondromalacia of the left knee, GERD, and chondromalacia of the right knee due to failure to report for VA examinations without good cause.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or TDIU.
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