The veteran's DJD of the right and left knees was caused by his period of military service, resulting in a grant of service connection for bilateral knee pain. However, he did not meet criteria for higher ratings for his back disability or radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner diagnosed the veteran with chronic lumbosacral strain (back disability) and right and left sciatic nerve neuropathy, but found that these conditions were not caused by service.
- Claimed conditions
- DJD of the right knee, DJD of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 6, 2008
- Citation
- 0838397
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 0838397.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various joint and back disabilities due to a lack of VA examinations, which were required by the Veterans Court. The Veteran's assertions include injuries from falls during service and wear and tear from his job as a bridge crewmember.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability effective October 1, 2022, and denied ratings in excess of 20 percent prior to July 15, 2019, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter. The issues related to right knee instability and other claims were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, right elbow condition, and right leg condition due to a lack of adequate medical opinions regarding the causal nexus between his service and these conditions. The increased rating claims for bilateral knee disabilities and right Achilles tendonitis are also being remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for residual pain from right hand injury, residual pain from fracture right little finger, disability manifested by low back pain, right foot metatarsalgia, DJD of the left knee, residuals of right knee replacement, and posttraumatic headaches.,Service connection is also granted for asthma.
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