The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for patella alta chondromalacia of the left knee and right knee, effective from March 13, 2001. The conditions were characterized by degenerative joint disease with flexion limited to 70 degrees on the left and 80 degrees on the right.
The deciding factor: The veteran's knees were diagnosed with degenerative joint disease beginning in March 2001, which warranted a higher rating than the initial 10 percent assigned prior to that date.
- Claimed conditions
- patella alta chondromalacia, degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 20, 2006
- Citation
- 0636121
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,643 · Granted: 15% (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 0636121.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for his lumbar spine disability has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as there was no unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis and thus not warranting a higher rating.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an extension of a temporary total evaluation based on the need for convalescence due to his service-connected left great toe hallux valgus and degenerative joint disease has been dismissed because this issue was already decided by the Board in January 2026.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an error in providing notice of a pre-decisional hearing, and the Veteran is entitled to such a hearing before the AOJ.
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