The Veteran was granted a 20 percent initial disability rating for degenerative arthritis of the left ankle and carpel tunnel syndrome of the left wrist, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The decision considered the limitation of motion due to pain and other factors as required by DeLuca v. Brown, resulting in a higher rating based on moderate limitation of motion and additional impairment from flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back pain, Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity (secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus), Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity (secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus), Degenerative arthritis of the left ankle, Carpel tunnel syndrome of the left wrist
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 13, 2009
- Citation
- 0909411
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,440 · Granted: 30% (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 0909411.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for eligibility in the PCAFC program due to insufficient evidence showing a need for personal care services, and thus denied the appeal.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's back condition is related to his service-connected left knee replacement residuals and grants service connection for this secondary condition.
- Denied
The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for treatment purposes only under 38 USC Chapter 17 for a disability of the spine and migraine headaches, as there is no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of low back pain due to a motor vehicle accident during service. The Veteran's lay statements and a buddy statement support his assertion that his back pain began after the 1982 motor vehicle accident. However, both VA examiners provided opinions that were inadequate as they did not consider these statements.
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