The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for DJD of the right and left knees, as well as DJD of the left shoulder, were denied by the RO. The RO found that the current evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his knee conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA medical examinations showed no significant disability in the Veteran's knees, with normal range of motion and no instability or subluxation noted. The pain was described as constant but manageable, without any objective findings supporting more severe ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the right knee, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the left knee, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 3, 2010
- Citation
- 1016264
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 1016264.
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 an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected DJD of the left knee and left knee lateral instability, from December 15, 2009, to September 5, 2014.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain a new VA medical opinion regarding the severity of the left knee DJD without the ameliorative effects of medication during the limited appeal period.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for DJD and instability of both knees but granted separate 20 percent ratings for dislocated semilunar cartilage in the left and right knees.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.
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