The veteran's service-connected left knee injury is currently manifested by DJD, but does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation. The right leg and bilateral foot disorders are not found to be related to his service-connected left knee injury.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support an increased rating for the service-connected residuals of a left knee injury or establish that any diagnosed right leg or bilateral foot disorder is secondary to the service-connected left knee injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the left knee, Right Knee DJD, Bilateral Foot Disorders including Pes Planus and Hallux Valgus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 31, 2006
- Citation
- 0627497
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 0627497.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected DJD of the left knee and left knee lateral instability, from December 15, 2009, to September 5, 2014.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain a new VA medical opinion regarding the severity of the left knee DJD without the ameliorative effects of medication during the limited appeal period.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for DJD and instability of both knees but granted separate 20 percent ratings for dislocated semilunar cartilage in the left and right knees.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbosacral spine prior to October 29, 2021, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to April 25, 2017.
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