The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the right and left knees are currently rated at 10 percent each, but his lumbar spine arthritis is rated at 10 percent. The appeal for higher ratings on both knee conditions has been denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no evidence of instability or laxity in either knee joint, which precludes a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 5257. Range of motion was full and pain did not result in additional limitation of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the right knee, Osteoarthritis of the left knee, Osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- May 3, 2011
- Citation
- 1117043
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 1117043.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for higher initial ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right and left knees, and left ankle strain are remanded due to inadequate VA compensation examination reports.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination to address the inadequacies of previous examinations and obtain any relevant private treatment records.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the left and right knees, limitation of extension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the right knee and osteoarthritis of the left knee due to a need for another VA examination.
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