The Veteran's back condition is not related to his knee conditions or service. The Veteran's left and right knee strains with degenerative joint disease are currently evaluated at 10 percent each, as they do not meet the criteria for higher evaluations based on limitation of motion.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence that the Veteran's knee condition was causing his back condition, and there is no other medical evidence linking the two conditions. The Veteran's knees are currently evaluated under Diagnostic Code 5010 (traumatic arthritis) as 10 percent each for degenerative joint disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Back Condition, Left Knee Strain with Degenerative Joint Disease, Right Knee Strain with Degenerative Joint Disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2015
- Citation
- 1547809
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 1547809.
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 August 1996 rating decision denied service connection for a back condition due to the claim being considered not well-grounded, as there was no current disability and no evidence of in-service injury or disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error in the VA examination for service connection of the back condition and requires an addendum opinion to address whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's back disability began in service or was caused by any incident of service.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of August 12, 2024 for the awards of a 50% rating for sinusitis and a 40% rating for intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine. Service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve was also granted effective on that date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for right knee, left knee, and back conditions due to inadequate medical opinions provided by VA. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which he asserts had its onset during active service.
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