The Board affirmed the RO's decision to deny the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities. The Veteran's lumbar spine and bilateral ankle disabilities were denied as new and material evidence was not received to reopen these previously denied claims. Service connection for ulcers and an acquired psychiatric disorder was also denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of ulcers or an acquired psychiatric disorder, and thus service connection could not be granted for these conditions. The right knee disability met the criteria for a 20 percent rating based on pain, locking, and effusion. The left knee disability met the criteria for a 10 percent rating due to arthritis with limitation of flexion.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ankle disorder, lumbar spine disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, ulcers
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 5, 2010
- Citation
- 1012629
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 1012629.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left foot condition, right foot condition, cellulitis, right ear hearing loss, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The appeal of the proposal to reduce a 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain was dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder to correct a duty to assist error, requiring further examination and review of private treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as it is unclear whether the Veteran's claimed conditions are due to any incident of his period of active service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, diabetes mellitus, and bilateral diabetic neuropathy.
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