The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for osteoarthritis of the knees and ankles were denied as there was no evidence of instability or involvement of two or more major joints, which would allow separate ratings under Diagnostic Code 5257.
The deciding factor: The criteria for a compensable rating based on limitation of motion were not met in all cases due to lack of objective findings such as swelling, muscle spasm, or satisfactory evidence of painful motion. The Veteran's arthritis was rated based solely on the presence of osteoarthritis without additional instability or involvement of two major joints.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2012
- Citation
- 1215317
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 1215317.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's right knee strain with osteoarthritis is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on current evidence.
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- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability, including post-total knee arthroplasty, is rated at 30% effective December 1, 2018. The TDIU claim was granted from January 1, 2018.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability as secondary to his service-connected lumbar strain and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
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