The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for chronic depression, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine prior to October 23, 2002, or degenerative arthritis of the left knee prior to October 6, 1999.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for chronic depression, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine prior to October 23, 2002, or degenerative arthritis of the left knee prior to October 6, 1999.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic depression, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, degenerative arthritis of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2015
- Citation
- 1550323
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 1550323.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for chronic depression.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the Board making a decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left femur fracture with degenerative arthritis of the left knee was dismissed because there was no appealable decision on this issue in the year preceding the June 2021 Notice of Disagreement.
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