The veteran's service-connected left knee disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining any form of gainful employment, and he is eligible for special monthly compensation based on the loss of use of his left foot.
The deciding factor: While the veteran has significant limitations due to his service-connected left knee conditions, there is no evidence that these conditions alone preclude him from performing sedentary work. He also meets the criteria for SMC based on the loss of use of his left foot.
- Claimed conditions
- Left knee osteochondritis dissecans, postoperative, Left knee osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0910205
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 service connection for plantar fasciitis on the right and left foot, left and right ankle strain, left and right knee osteoarthritis, and left and right hip strain, all secondary to service-connected back and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities with weight gain/obesity as an intermediate step.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left and right knee osteoarthritis, and a TDIU prior to January 7, 2019.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent rating for the service-connected left forehead scar but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left knee osteoarthritis, and PTSD.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial evaluation of 20 percent, but not in excess thereof, prior to April 9, 2012 for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and denied evaluations in excess of 20 percent from that date. The claims for increased ratings for left and right knee osteoarthritis were also denied.
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