The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected left knee disability was granted, but he remains denied service connection for a thoracic spine disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's symptoms and physical examination results supported a 20% rating for chondromalacia of the left knee as of May 25, 2012. However, his claim for service connection for a thoracic spine disability was denied due to lack of evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- chondromalacia of the left knee, thoracic spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 29, 2013
- Citation
- 1334382
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 1334382.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development and consideration of the appellant's theory that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his obesity, which contributed to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chondromalacia of the left knee, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within the presumptive period after service. The Board also noted that her medical discharge from service was due to pes planus and not any left knee condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected migraines are granted, and her thoracic spine disability is rated at 20 percent. The rating for the thoracic spine disability remains unchanged as there is no evidence of flexion limited to 30 degrees or less.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, thoracic spine disability, radicular pain of the right upper extremity, and radicular pain of the left upper extremity as withdrawn by the Veteran. The appeal is also REMANDED for a VA medical opinion on the claim of service connection for headaches.
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