The veteran was granted a 20 percent rating for post-operative residuals of a left knee injury with instability, effective July 14, 2008.
The deciding factor: The examiner noted moderate instability and the Board resolved reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran by granting a 20 percent rating from that date.
- Claimed conditions
- postoperative residuals of a left knee injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- February 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0904618
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,987 · 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 0904618.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including postoperative residuals of a left knee injury, traumatic arthritis of the left knee, and degenerative joint disease of the right knee, were found to be contributory causes of his death. As such, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and VA treatment records. He will also undergo VA examinations to evaluate his left knee and left middle finger disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's application for vocational rehabilitation and training under Chapter 31, Title 38, United States Code was denied because it was determined that achieving a vocational goal was not reasonably feasible due to his service-connected and nonservice-connected disabilities preventing him from successfully pursuing employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations. The Veteran's claims of increased ratings for his left knee disability and right hand fractures are being reviewed.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.